New Delhi: New claims have emerged that Canada has obtained intelligence from an unnamed Five Eyes partner that allegedly implicates Indian diplomats in the assassination of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The US has also expressed its concern over the issue and said that the “targeting of dissidents” in other countries is “unacceptable”.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported Friday that, according to sources, the Canadian government has amassed both “human” and “signals” intelligence in its investigation of Nijjar’s killing, which has inflamed relations with India. This includes communications between Indian officials and diplomats present in Canada, said the report quoting unnamed Canadian government sources.
The report further claims that some intelligence was provided by an “unnamed ally” in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
ThePrint reached the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for a reply but did not receive a response. The report will be updated once a response is received.
India has so far rejected Canada’s claims of official involvement in the killing and has called the allegations “absurd”.
This comes a day after the MEA spokesperson, in a briefing, said India has not received any specific information about the case.
Asked about reports that US President Joe Biden raised the issue with PM Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit held earlier this month, the MEA spokesperson declined to confirm if such a discussion took place.
However, the Financial Times (FT) reported Friday that Biden and other leaders expressed concern to Modi at the G20 summit about Canada’s claims. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had at the time urged allies to raise the issue directly with Modi, added the report.
This comes as the Canada High Commission in Delhi has told local staff to go on leave. The mission is reducing the number of staff so that it is in “parity” with the Indian mission in Canada, “pursuant” to a request by New Delhi, revealed the MEA Thursday.
Tensions continue to flare between the two countries after India Thursday suspended all categories of visa services in Canada.
Meanwhile, top US officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, said the US continues to consult with Canada on the investigation.
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‘Targeting dissidents unacceptable’
On Thursday, Adrienne Watson, the White House National Security Council spokesperson, said “targeting dissidents in other countries is absolutely unacceptable and we will keep taking steps to push back on this practice”.
Later, Sullivan said in a briefing: “As soon as we heard from the Canadian Prime Minister publicly about the allegations, we went out publicly ourselves and expressed our deep concern about them, our support for a law enforcement process to get to the bottom of exactly what happened and to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable. Meanwhile, top US officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, said the US continues to consult with Canada on the investigation. There is not some special exemption you get for actions like this.”
“We are consulting with them [Canada] closely, we support the efforts that they are undertaking in this investigation, and we have also been in touch with the Indian government as well,” he added.
In an interview Wednesday, John Kirby, a spokesperson for Biden’s National Security Council, said the Biden administration is “deeply concerned” about the allegations and added that “the facts should take the investigators where they may”.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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