India rejects Trudeau's remarks on meeting PM Modi in Laos, says 'no substantive discussion' took place

After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed he had a “brief exchange” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Laos where he highlighted the need to address “real issues” amid tense India-Canada ties, India on Friday rejected the remarks saying there was no “substantive discussion” between the two leaders in Vientiane.

PM Modi and his Canadian counterpart met in Vientiane, Laos, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. This was their second in-person meeting since relations soured between the two countries in September 2023 following Trudeau’s allegations in the House of Commons regarding India’s potential involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar was shot dead by masked assailants outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia in June 2023.

Slamming Trudeau’s remarks, India on Friday said that there was “no substantive discussion” between PM Modi and Trudeau in Vientiane.

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“Regarding remarks made by the Prime Minister of Canada, there was no substantive discussion between PM Modi and Prime Minister Trudeau in Vientiane,” said government sources.

They emphasised that India continues to expect that “anti-India Khalistani activities will not be allowed to take place on Canadian soil and that firm action, which is lacking thus far, will be taken against those advocating violence, extremism, and terrorism against India from Canadian territory.”

“The growing nexus of such forces with organised crime, drug syndicates, and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well,” the sources further added.

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They stressed that India attaches importance to relations with Canada, “but these cannot be repaired unless the Canadian Government takes strict and verifiable action against those who actively pursue anti-India activities and have conspired to promote hate, disinformation, communal disharmony, and violence in India as well as Canada.”

Describing his interaction with PM Modi as a “brief exchange”, Trudeau, though did not disclose specifics of their conversation, told CBS Canada that he highlighted the need to address “real issues” that require resolution.

“I emphasised that there is work that we need to do,” CBS Canada quoted Trudeau telling reporters at a press conference in Laos.

“I won’t go into details about what we talked about, but what I’ve said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government, and that’s what I’ll stay focused on,” he was quoted as saying.

With inputs from agencies