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The Canadian report, however, blamed India for running a “disinformation campaign” following PM Justin Trudeau’s announcement of country’s suspected involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
An image of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. (Image: Don MacKinnon/AFP)
A public inquiry on foreign interference in Canada has found “no definitive link to a foreign state” in the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, of which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had openly accused India.
Sour since Trudeau’s 2018 India tour, diplomatic ties between Canada and India worsened after the prime minister’s announcement on India’s suspected involvement in the killing of Nijjar. The report, however, blamed India for running a “disinformation campaign” following the allegations.
“Disinformation is also used as a retaliatory tactic, to punish decisions that run contrary to a state’s interests. This may have been the case with a disinformation campaign that followed the Prime Minister’s announcement regarding suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar (though again no definitive link to a foreign state could be proven),” the report stated.
On Monday (January 28), India rejected Canada’s allegations of interference in the country’s federal elections in the same report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference. The ministry of external affairs rejected insinuations that “the government of India was suspected of using proxy agents to provide clandestine financial support to candidates from three political parties in a federal election”.
While the report found “no evidence of traitors” in the Canadian parliament, its Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue warned that one of the biggest threats to democracy was foreign actors sowing disinformation in both the traditional media and social media.
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WHAT IS THE HARDEEP SINGH NIJJAR CASE?
The report also gave detailed information on Nijjar’s killing, subsequent intelligence gathering, and the allegations, as well as its impact on Indo-Canadian ties. Nijjar was killed on June 18, 2023, outside a gurdwara in British Columbia.
According to the probe report, Canada’s security and intelligence agencies initially assessed this to be a gang or criminal activity, and Trudeau was informed of this. But, as more intelligence was gathered over the summer, India’s involvement was revealed and the Prime Minister was promptly briefed on the updated assessment, the report stated.
“The government wanted India to acknowledge its involvement in the killing but also needed a pragmatic approach to resolve the issue. The Prime Minister testified that the immediate approach was to engage with India and communicate the need for the two countries to work together while ensuring there was accountability,” it said.
In August and September 2023, there were a series of meetings between the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister (NSIA), the CSIS Director, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and their Indian counterparts. India, however, did not acknowledge its involvement in Nijjar’s killing.
The report further mentions an article dated September 18, 2023, published by the Globe and Mail saying Canadian officials had information about potential Indian involvement in Nijjar’s killing. It was following this news report that Trudeau made the announcement about India’s suspected involvement in Nijjar’s death.
At the same time, the report stated, Canada declared an Indian diplomat persona non grata. “India responded not only by declaring a Canadian official persona non grata, but by lifting the diplomatic immunity of a further 41 Canadian diplomats in India, effectively expelling them. India may also have launched a disinformation campaign against the Prime Minister,” it said.
Indo-Canadian ties have nosedived in the aftermath of Nijjar’s killing as well as Trudeau’s allegations. India has repeatedly denied these allegations, and has taken a decisive stand against what it perceives as Canada’s non-seriousness in dealing with the Khalistan issue.
