As India reacts to Khalistan threat by confiscating the properties of Canada-based Khalistani terrorist and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, two groups in the Canadian Sikh diaspora have urged Canada’s political parties to "present a united front" on India.
This came as the relations between the two countries hit an all-time low after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India had unequivocally rejected the allegations, calling them "absurd and motivated."
A joint statement by the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee and the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council said "Canadian parties of all stripes must be unequivocally clear" about their opposition to possible foreign interference relating to the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.
The diplomatic row worsened over the days with India suspending visa services for Canadians this week. Soon after, a video of Khalistani leader and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannu asking issued threats in public forums to senior Indian diplomats and threatening Canadian Hindus, asking them to leave Canada, also went viral. Following this, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) confiscated the properties of Pannun in Amritsar and Chandigarh.
Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed in Surrey in British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
Meanwhile, an NYT report said that the US provided Canada with intelligence about the possible involvement of India in Nijjar's murder. However, the communications intercepted by Ottawa were more definitive and led it to accuse India of orchestrating the plot, it read.
"In the aftermath of the killing, US intelligence agencies offered their Canadian counterparts context that helped Canada conclude that India had been involved," the NYT reported, quoting unnamed allied officials as saying. "Yet what appears to be the smoking gun, intercepted communications of Indian diplomats in Canada indicating involvement in the plot, was gathered by Canadian officials," allied officials added.
On Saturday, David Cohen, US Ambassador to Canada, had claimed that the "shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners" had informed Trudeau about India's involvement.