Even as the diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar continues unabated, a section media reports on Wednesday pointed fingers at the alleged involvement of Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) in the Sikh separatist’s murder. Nijjar was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Canada’s British Columbia while he was inside his car in June.
According to Indian government sources, the ISI may have wanted to eliminate Nijjar to put India on the back foot, reported CNN-News18.
As per the report, Rahat Rao and Tariq Kiyani are the two ISI plants in Canada and the duo may have been involved in the task of killing Nijjar. The report further quoted sources as saying that getting in close proximity to Nijjar was impossible without someone known to him since he was very cautious and guarded.
Rao and Kiyani might wanted to finish off Nijjar so that they could directly control the drug and immigration business. Nijjar’s proximity with Pakistan-based group leaders like Wadhawa Singh and Ranjeet Singh Neeta were also a problem for the ISI because these people were unable to carry out major tasks, the sources were quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Nijjar's son Balraj Singh claimed that his father was in regular touch with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and had met senior officials six days before he was killed. Balraj said Nijjar was scheduled to meet some of the CSIS officials two days after he was killed.
The meetings had started in February and had increased in frequency in the following three or four months, Balraj told Canada’s National Observer newspaper. The 21-year-old also said that his father was advised to "stay at home” owing to security threats.
His statement has prompted Indian agencies to question why protection was not given to Nijjar if Canada had specific intelligence against Indian agents.
The relationship between Ottawa and New Delhi hit a new low last week over Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation of a potential Indian link to the killing of Nijjar. India reacted sharply to Trudeau’s claims, calling them “absurd” and “politically driven”. New Delhi also expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, however, said on Wednesday that India was willing to look into the case if Canada provides relevant information on the killing of the Sikh separatist leader.
"One, we told the Canadians that this is not the government of India's policy. Two, we told the Canadians saying that look, if you have something specific, if you have something relevant, you know, let us know - we are open to looking at it," Jaishankar said.
New Delhi claims that Canada has yet to provide any evidence to support the claim about the slaying of Nijjar.
Nijjar is wanted in India on charges of terrorism