Prime Minister Justin Trudueau's accusations of Indian involvement in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar were based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, said reports. An unnamed ally in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance also provided Ottawa with crucial intelligence. Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing network that includes the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The Canadian government has gathered "both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation", said a report by Toronto-based CBC News. This includes communications involving Indian officials themselves and Indian diplomats present in Canada, the report quoted sources within Ottawa.
When pressed behind closed doors, no Indian official has denied the allegations or the evidence, the report added.
Cooperate with probe
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday called on India to cooperate with an investigation but added that Canada would not release the evidence now. "I can assure you that the decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons … was not done lightly," Trudeau said in New York after attending the United Nations General Assembly. "It was done with the utmost seriousness."
He also acknowledged the complicated diplomatic situation he faced. "There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with," he said. "We are not looking to provoke or cause problems 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 uncover the truth of the matter."
On whether the country would release the evidence, Trudeau said: "As a country with a strong and independent justice system, we allow those justice processes to unfold themselves with the utmost integrity."
Meanwhile, the US said it was in touch with both Canada and India over Ottawa's allegations. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday said Washington was talking to New Delhi about the matter." "There's not some special exemption you get for actions like this," Sullivan told reporters. "It is a matter of concern for us, it is something we take seriously."