On 6 Jun, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit. Carney said India is the fifth-largest market in the world and therefore had to be included in the summit, which will see the participation of the world’s leading economies. Signallying a thaw after relations between India and Canada soured in the past two years, he said, the two countries look forward to working together with 'renewed vigor, guided by mutual respect and shared interests.' Upon being asked about the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Carney acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue but maintained that his government would not interfere in the legal process underway in Canada. The Toronto Star reports that the invite was conditional to India promising to be ‘accountable and engaging in law enforcement dialogues’.The national spokesperson of the Sikh Federation of Canada, Moninder Singh said Modi receiving an invite to the G7 summit is an ‘overreach and unacceptable.’ Canada-based World Sikh Organization legal counsel Balpreet Singh said the announcement of Modi's invitation had sparked 'outrage and pain' within the Canadian Sikh community. India had earlier said even if Modi is invited, he would not attend the G7 summit but has now accepted the invitation. Meanwhile, in the US, the Fremont Gurdwara Sahib, California has asked the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to launch a security investigation into the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), to determine whether the Pennsylvania-based non-profit should be required to file as an Indian foreign agent. Under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act, any such determination by the DoJ would require the HAF to publicly disclose details of its activities, including meetings with lawmakers, and any contracts and financial arrangements it has with the Indian govt. In a statement HAF said it was a ‘non-partisan tax-exempt charity that is wholly independent and has 'absolutely no affiliation or ties to any organization or political parties in the US or abroad' (earlier coverage).
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