External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to convene with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington this Thursday, as tensions between India and Canada escalate following the controversial killing of a Khalistani separatist.

While officials on both sides remain discreet regarding the meeting's agenda, the ongoing diplomatic discord between two longstanding American allies, Canada and India, is anticipated to dominate the discussions.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller refrained from disclosing specifics about the Jaishankar-Blinken meeting but emphasized the U.S. government's commitment to urging Indian cooperation with the Canadian investigation. He stated, "I don't want to preview the conversations he (Blinken) will have in that meeting (with Jaishankar), but as we've made clear, we've raised this; we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this and encouraged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, and we continue to encourage them to cooperate."

The meeting between Jaishankar and Blinken is slated to occur at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department on Thursday afternoon (approximately midnight local India time). The two leaders are expected to participate in a photo session before the meeting, with no plans to field questions from the media.

Though the meeting was scheduled well before the Canadian crisis erupted, the U.S. has persistently called upon India to collaborate in the Canadian inquiry into the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia earlier this year.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of being responsible for Nijjar's death, which occurred outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. India had labeled Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India has vehemently refuted these allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and has reciprocated by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat, mirroring Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official. Furthermore, India has urged Canada to take action against terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its territory and has suspended visa services for Canadian nationals.

Miller clarified that the issue did not surface for discussion in New York during the Quad ministerial meeting, which involved foreign ministers from the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia. He stated, "It was a meeting of several countries, and it did not come up in that meeting. But we have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this issue and urged them to fully cooperate with the Canadian investigation."

Jaishankar arrived in the U.S. capital from New York, where he attended the United Nations' annual General Assembly meetings on Tuesday.

In addition to his meeting with Blinken, the External Affairs Minister is anticipated to hold a series of meetings with senior officials from the Biden administration, assessing the progress made between the two nations since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic State Visit in June. He will also engage with the diaspora, think-tank community, and corporate leaders to discuss various regional and global issues.

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