Former R&AW head Vikram Sood says Justin Trudeau's claim over India's role in Khalistani leader Nijjar's killing is 'without evidence'

“He’s made a claim without evidence, and having made the claim, he’s taken an action, i.e. to expel the Indian diplomat. Now, he wants us to cooperate with him. What is he saying? The whole thing sounds very absurd and illogical to me,” Sood, former chief of India’s foreign intelligence agency, told ANI

On a row between India and Canada, Sood said, “Things like this happen between two countries. There is a dispute or an argument on certain issues… Two sovereign nations must talk about things. But this man (Justin Trudeau) has just gone around and decided that he has to do it like this. His visit to India in G20, he wasn’t very happy with that, nor was he with his 2018 visit… If you have relations, you maintain them. Go by the laid down principles if you are a friendly country. We are not enemies but he makes it look as if we are."

During a speech to the House of Commons, Justin Trudeau Monday said the Canadian security agencies have been "actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar".

India, meanwhile, has rejected Trudeau's claims stating that: "Allegations of the Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated."

"Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister, and were completely rejected," the Indian foreign ministry has said.

The matter escalated so much so that over the last two days, Canada and India expelled each other's senior diplomats. On Monday, the unnamed Canadian diplomat was asked to leave India within five days.

The escalation comes shortly after the issue was discussed between Trudeau and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the recently held G20 in India.

During the G20 talks, PM Modi had reportedly conveyed that extremist elements in Canada are "promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats…  threatening the Indian community and their places of worship".

Trudeau had then assured him that Canada would always "defend freedom of expression... conscience and peaceful protest." But it will also prevent violence and push back against hatred, he had told reporters.