Amid the 13th Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) on Tuesday in New Delhi, Canada’s Deputy Army Chief Major General Peter Scott told the Indian Media that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar 'has no bearing' on the Canadian Army contingent's presence at the Indo-Pacific Conference and that they are there to build relations from army to army and let the governments deal with it.
Speaking at the conference, General Scott said that Canada is looking forward to engaging in training and exercises with its partners in the Indo-Pacific.
The deputy army chief expressed his hopes amid protests organized by Khalistan supporters outside the Indian Embassy in Canada, where they burned the Indian national flag.
The demonstration was held in response to the alleged murder of Khalistani supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar, with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau claiming India was “involved”.
Similar protests also took place in Toronto, amplifying the voices of the Khalistani supporters. The World Sikh Organization previously issued a warning about potential incitement and interference, calling for heightened vigilance.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who inaugurated the conference on Tuesday, stated that in recent years, the Indo-Pacificregion has emerged as a crucial geopolitical and strategic concept as it has evolved to be an economically vibrant and strategically significant region. Meanwhile, India’s defence minister said that the security concerns have increased the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific. Additionally, the area is dealing with a complicated web of security issues, such as piracy and border conflicts.