Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urges India to cooperate in murder probe, declines to release evidence

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated on Thursday that Canada will not make its evidence public and urged India to assist in an inquiry into the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia.

Trudeau stated on Monday that Ottawa had credible allegations that Indian government agents were involved in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, drawing a strong response from New Delhi. Nijjar, 45, was a citizen of Canada.

According to CBC News, which cited sources, the Canadian government has gathered both human and signals information in a months-long probe into the death of the Sikh separatist leader.

So far, traditional Canadian allies have adopted a cautious approach to the situation. Political observers believe this is due in part to the United States and other key powers viewing India as a counterbalance to China’s expanding influence.

“There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with … and we’re not looking to provoke or cause problems,” Trudeau said in a press conference in New York on the sidelines of the annual high-level United Nations General Assembly. “But we are unequivocal around the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about the importance of protecting Canadians.”

“That’s why we call upon the government of India to work with us to establish processes to discover and to uncover the truth of the matter.”

According to the CBC story, citing Canadian sources, no Indian official has rejected the claim of Indian government complicity in Nijjar’s killing when questioned behind closed doors. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the CBC story from Reuters.

According to the article, the intelligence includes contacts with Indian officials, including Indian diplomats in Canada, and that part of the intelligence was given by an unnamed ally in the Five Eyes alliance.

Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing network comprised of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The United States is in touch with both Canada and India over Ottawa’s allegations, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday, confirming for the first time that Washington was talking to New Delhi about the matter.

“There’s not some special exemption you get for actions like this,” Sullivan told reporters when asked about Trudeau’s statement about possible Indian involvement. “It is a matter of concern for us, it is something we take seriously.”

US President Joe Biden and several members of the Five Eyes raised the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they met at the G20 this month, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The Indian foreign ministry said Canada had not shared any specific information about the murder. Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state and was designated by India as a “terrorist” in July 2020.

“As a country with a strong and independent justice system, we allow those justice processes to unfold themselves with the utmost integrity,” Trudeau replied when asked when Canada would release the evidence it had.

India on Thursday suspended new visas for Canadians and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country. Trudeau did not respond when asked about these measures.

Speaking separately, an Indian trade official said there was no reason for Canadian pension funds to back out of investing in the country.