New York:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday called on India to cooperate in the investigation into the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia and said Canada will not release its evidence.

Trudeau said on Monday that Ottawa had credible allegations of Indian government agents being involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, which drew outrage from New Delhi. 45-year-old Nijjar was a Canadian citizen.

Read more: Kashmiri, Sikh groups seek joint strategy against India after killing in Canada

Traditional Canadian allies have so far taken a relatively cautious stance on the matter. Analysts say this is partly because the United States and other major players see India as a counterweight to China’s growing influence.

“There’s no doubt that India is a country of increasing importance and a country with which we have to continue to work… and we are not going to provoke or create problems,” Trudeau said at a news conference in New York. I’m not thinking.” On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Read more: New Delhi wants ‘reduction’ in number of Canadian diplomats in India as dispute escalates

“But we are clear about the importance of the rule of law and we are clear about the importance of protecting Canadians.”

“We therefore call on the Indian government to work with us to establish processes to discover and uncover the truth about this case.”

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday said the United States is in touch with both Canada and India over Ottawa’s allegations, confirming for the first time that Washington is talking to New Delhi on the matter.

Asked about Trudeau’s statement about possible Indian involvement, Sullivan told reporters, “You don’t get any special immunity for actions like this.” “This is a matter of concern to us, we take it seriously.”