Pakistan links Canada-India row to Modi's Hindutva ideology

India's historic adversary Pakistan has said that Western nations had failed to see the "reality" of New Delhi's far-right leadership after Canada alleged Indian involvement in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader.

Canada expelled an Indian diplomat, prompting a tit-for-tat reaction, after concluding that Indian agents played a role in the June killing near Vancouver of a Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Pakistan's caretaker prime minister as the country heads to elections, linked the episode to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ideology of Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva.

"These ideologues of Hindutva, they are becoming emboldened in a manner that they are now going beyond the region," Kakar said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York as he took part in the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

The "unfortunate killing of Mr Singh on Canadian soil is a reflection of that ominous tendency," he said.

"But for obvious economic and strategic reasons, many players in the Western capitals chose to ignore this fact and reality," he said.

Western powers led by the United States have been courting India for years, seeing a natural ally in the billion-plus democracy as concerns mount about China.

Human rights violations in India

Modi showcased India's global role earlier this month as he led the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi.

He has promoted the identity of the Hindu majority in the diverse country, with rights groups accusing him of creating a dangerous atmosphere for religious minorities, who include Muslims, Christians and Sikhs.

Nijjar, who was wanted by India for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder, advocated carving out a separate Sikh state known as Khalistan.

India has long alleged that Pakistan has supported the Khalistan movement, which carried out an insurgency in the 1980s crushed by Indian security forces. Islamabad denies such allegations.

The spat between Canada and India has already thrown cold water on trade talks, which have been paused, and Canada last week called off a major trade mission scheduled for October.

Surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada

Canada has yet to provide any concrete evidence of Indian involvement in the killing.

India's security and intelligence branches have long been active in South Asia and are suspected in a number of killings in Pakistan. But arranging the killing of a Canadian citizen in Canada, home to nearly two million people of Indian descent, would be unprecedented.

The allegation of India's involvement in the killing of Nijjar is based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, including intelligence provided by a major ally, a Canadian official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The official said the communications involved Indian officials and Indian diplomats in Canada and that some of the intelligence was provided by a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance, which includes the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to Canada.

The official did not say which ally provided intelligence or give specific details of what was contained in the communications or how they were obtained. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [CBC] first reported details of the intelligence.

Canadian sources say that, when pressed behind closed doors, no Indian official has denied the bombshell allegation at the core of this case — that there is evidence to suggest Indian government involvement in the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, CBC reported.

"I can assure you that the decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons … was not done lightly," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday in New York after attending the United Nations General Assembly.

"It was done with the utmost seriousness."