Allegations of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s murder in Canada based on intelligence: Canadian officials

Allegations of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh Canadian man are based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada and intelligence provided by a key partner, a Canadian official said.

A Canadian official told The Associated Press on Thursday that Indian officials and a member of ‘Five Eyes’, an intelligence-sharing group that oversees conversations between Indian diplomats in Canada, provided information in this regard.

The ‘Five Eyes’ include Canada, America, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The officer gave this information on the condition of not disclosing his name. However, he did not give any information regarding which ally country shared this confidential information or what was in the conversation and how they came to know about it.

The ‘Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’ was the first to provide details of the intelligence. Diplomatic dispute continues between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Nijjar.

The controversy arose following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of ‘possible’ involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar in June. India on Thursday announced a temporary ban on issuing visas to Canadian citizens in view of the ‘security threats’ faced by its High Commission and Consulates in Canada.

India took this step amid diplomatic controversy over Ottawa’s allegations. India on Tuesday rejected Canada’s allegations as “absurd” and “baseless” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in retaliation for Canada expelling an Indian official over the matter.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar (45), the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and one of India’s most wanted terrorists, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a Gurudwara in Canada on June 18. There was a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on him.

Trudeau, who arrived in New York to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, said, “We are a country governed by the rule of law. We will continue to take the necessary steps to keep Canadians safe and uphold our values ​​and the international rules-based order. That’s our focus right now.”

Trudeau said, “There is no doubt that India is growing in importance and is a country that we need to continue to work with, not just regionally but globally.” We are not thinking of provoking or creating problems. “But we are clear on the importance of the rule of law and the importance of protecting Canadians.”

Relations between India and Canada have been tense for the past few months in view of the increasing activities of pro-Khalistani elements in the North American country. India believes that the Trudeau government is not paying attention to its genuine concerns.

India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Canada should take action against Khalistani supporters carrying out their activities from its territory.

“Our High Commission and Consulates in Canada are facing “security threats” due to which India is temporarily unable to process visa applications from Canada,” Bagchi said at a press conference.

“You are aware of the security threats facing our High Commission and Consulates in Canada,” he said. Due to this their normal work has been disrupted. Therefore, our High Commissions and Consulates are temporarily unable to process visa applications.

Bagchi said the situation would be reviewed regularly. He said, “The issue is not about the visit to India. Those who have documents like valid visa and OCI (Overseas Indian Citizenship) card are free to travel to India.

India also asked Canada to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in the country (India). For this, New Delhi argued that the number of Canadian diplomatic staff in India is higher than the existing Indian diplomatic staff in Canada and there should be parity in strength and ranks in terms of mutual presence.

Earlier in the day, a private agency appointed by India to conduct preliminary screening of visa applications from Canadian citizens issued a notice on its website regarding suspension of visa services due to “operational reasons”.

However, after a few hours it was removed and then put online again. The agency ‘BLS International’ also informed the stock exchange that it has suspended India’s visa services to Canada with immediate effect.

Disclaimer: IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.

---

---