India and the US have discussed the killing of a Khalistani terrorist that is at the core of the Indo-Canada diplomatic crisis. Foreign minister S Jaishankar told his US counterpart Antony Blinken that Canada harbours extremist elements.

Mr Jaishankar said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation – that “Indian government agents” were involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing – was not consistent with India’s policy. India had earlier rejected Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”

Canada has a “permissive attitude towards terrorists, extremists, and people who openly advocate violence”, said the foreign minister, responding to a question during a discussion at Hudson Institute in Washington. “They have been given operating space in Canada because of the compulsions of Canadian politics,” he said.

Trudeau has offered no evidence to support his allegation against India, but reports said this was a shared information among an intelligence alliance also including US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Rejecting the charge, India has accused Canada of providing safe haven to terrorists.