Canada s Sikhs voice outrage over Modi G7 invitation

TORONTO - Members of Canadas Sikh community who were warned by police that their lives were at risk and allege the Indian government is responsible for the threat are incensed by Ottawas invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Modi, although India is not a G7 member, to attend the summit that starts on Sunday as a guest. It will be Modis first visit to Canada in a decade and a diplomatic test for Carney, a political neophyte.

Canadas relationship with India has been tense since former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023 accused Indias government of involvement in the June 18, 2023, murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.

Modis government has denied involvement in Nijjars killing and has accused Canada of providing a safe haven for Sikh separatists.

Outrage is the kind of term that Ive heard from people, Sikh activist Moninder Singh, a friend of Nijjar, said of the invitation.

He and other Sikh leaders plan to hold a protest in Ottawa on Saturday.

Carney, locked in a trade war with the United States, is trying to shore up alliances elsewhere and diversify Canadas exports. Carney told reporters he invited India due to its importance in global supply chains.

Indias Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a Thursday press briefing that a meeting between Modi and Carney will offer an important opportunity for them to exchange views on bilateral and global issues and explore pathways to set or reset the relationship.

SIKHS FACE THREATS

That rationale rings hollow for Singh, who lives in British Columbia. He has received multiple warnings from police that his life was at risk. One such warning forced him from his home for months in 2023