International
oi-PTI
Canada’s
allegations
of
India’s
involvement
in
the
killing
of
a
Sikh
separatist
in
Surrey
that
sparked
a
diplomatic
row
between
the
two
nations
are
based
on
both
human
and
signals
intelligence
and
inputs
from
an
ally
from
Ottawa’s
Five
Eye
intelligence
network,
a
media
report
has
said
citing
the
Canadian
government
sources.
Tensions
flared
between
India
and
Canada
early
this
week
following
Prime
Minister
Justin
Trudeau’s
explosive
allegations
of
the
”potential” involvement
of
Indian
agents
in
the
killing
of
Khalistani
extremist
Hardeep
Singh
Nijjar
on
his
country’s
soil
on
June
18
in
British
Columbia.
India
had
designated
Nijjar
as
a
terrorist
in
2020.
India
angrily
rejected
the
allegations
as
”absurd”
and
”motivated”
and
expelled
a
senior
Canadian
diplomat
in
a
tit-for-tat
move
to
Ottawa’s
expulsion
of
an
Indian
official
over
the
case.
The
Canadian
government
has
amassed
both
human
and
signals
intelligence
in
a
months-long
investigation
of
the
Sikh
man’s
death
that
has
inflamed
relations
with
India,
CBC
News,
a
division
of
the
Canadian
Broadcasting
Corporation,
reported
on
Thursday
quoting
sources.
Centre
Issues
Advisory
To
TV
Channels
Amid
India-Canada
Row
That
intelligence
includes
communications
involving
Indian
officials
themselves,
including
Indian
diplomats
present
in
Canada,
say
Canadian
government
sources.
The
intelligence
did
not
come
solely
from
Canada.
Some
were
provided
by
an
unnamed
ally
in
the
Five
Eyes
intelligence
alliance,
the
public
broadcaster
said.
Canada
is
part
of
a
‘Five
Eyes’
network
which
is
an
intelligence
alliance
consisting
of
the
United
States,
United
Kingdom,
Australia,
Canada
and
New
Zealand.
The
report
said
the
diplomatic
crisis
unfolded
progressively
behind
the
scenes.
Canadian
officials
went
to
India
on
several
occasions
seeking
cooperation
in
the
investigation
of
Nijjar’s
death,
the
report
claimed.
Canada’s
National
Security
and
Intelligence
Adviser
Jody
Thomas
was
in
India
over
four
days
in
mid-August,
then
again
for
five
days
in
September.
That
last
visit
overlapped
with
a
tense
meeting
between
Prime
Minister
Trudeau
and
Indian
counterpart
Narendra
Modi,
it
said.
”Canadian
sources
say
that
when
pressed
behind
closed
doors,
no
Indian
official
has
denied
the
bombshell
allegation
at
the
core
of
this
case
–
that
there
is
evidence
to
suggest
Indian
government
involvement
in
the
assassination
of
a
Canadian
citizen
on
Canadian
soil,” it
added.
Canada
is
weighing
retaliation
but
has
taken
no
decision
yet,
said
government
sources
in
Ottawa.
What
Is
Five
Eyes
Intelligence
That
Is
Backing
Probe
In
Khalistani
Terrorist
Hardeep
Singh
Nijjar’s
Murder?
On
Thursday,
India
asked
Canada
to
come
down
hard
on
terrorists
and
anti-India
elements
operating
from
its
soil
and
suspended
visa
services
for
Canadians,
as
escalating
tensions
between
the
two
nations
over
the
killing
of
Nijjar
pushed
their
ties
to
an
all-time
low.
India
also
asked
Canada
to
downsize
its
diplomatic
staff
in
the
country,
arguing
that
there
should
be
parity
in
strength
and
rank
equivalence
in
the
mutual
diplomatic
presence.
The
size
of
Canadian
diplomatic
staff
in
India
is
larger
than
what
New
Delhi
has
in
Canada.
When
asked
about
the
intelligence
reports,
Deputy
Prime
Minister
Chrystia
Freeland
said
she
couldn’t
comment
without
risking
the
investigation
and
Canada’s
obligations
to
its
Five
Eyes
partners.
”That
partnership
rests
very
much
on
those…
intelligence
conversations
being
held
in
confidence,”
she
told
CBC
News
Network.
Asked
if
Canada
is
thinking
about
retaliating
by
pausing
visa
processing
for
Indian
visitors,
Freeland
said
the
government
is
focused
on
bringing
the
killers
to
justice.
”This
is
not
about
geopolitics.
This
is
about
Canada
and
the
safety
of
Canadians
in
Canada.
This
is
about
the
rule
of
law,”
she
said.
Prime
Minister
Trudeau
Thursday
said
Canada
is
not
looking
to
”provoke
or
cause
problems”
with
India
as
he
urged
New
Delhi
to
take
the
matter
”extremely
seriously”
and
work
with
Ottawa
to
”uncover
the
truth”.
”We
call
upon
the
government
of
India
to
take
seriously
this
matter
and
to
work
with
us
to
shed
full
transparency
and
ensure
accountability
and
justice
in
this
matter,”
Trudeau
said
while
responding
to
questions
on
the
diplomatic
row
between
India
and
Canada.
”We
are
a
country
of
the
rule
of
law.
We
are
going
to
continue
to
do
the
work
necessary
to
keep
Canadians
safe
and
to
uphold
our
values
and
the
international
rules-based
order.
That’s
our
focus
right
now,”
added
Trudeau,
who
is
here
to
attend
the
78th
session
of
the
United
Nations
General
Assembly
in
New
York.
When
asked
whether
his
government
would
take
any
retaliatory
measures
following
India’s
suspension
of
visa
services
for
Canadians,
Trudeau
said
that
his
government
was
not
looking
to
provoke
or
cause
problems.
Hardeep
Singh
Nijjar:
Who
Was
The
Khalistani
Terrorist
Killed
In
Canada?
The
Canadian
government
has
not
released
its
evidence
and
has
suggested
it
could
emerge
during
an
eventual
legal
process,
the
CBC
report
said.
The
US
on
Thursday
said
it
supports
Canada’s
efforts
to
investigate
allegations
of
India’s
involvement
in
the
killing
of
Nijjar,
observing
that
no
country
can
get
any
”special
exemption”
for
such
kind
of
activities.
The
US
government
has
not
confirmed
or
denied
that
it
was
the
Five
Eyes
ally
providing
some
of
the
signals
intelligence.
But
National
Security
Advisor
Jake
Sullivan
told
reporters
at
a
White
House
news
conference
that
the
United
States
has
been
in
frequent
contact
with
Canada
on
this
issue.
“I’m
not
going
to
get
into
the
substance
of
private
diplomatic
conversations,
but
we
are
in
constant
contact
with
our
Canadian
counterparts.
We
are
consulting
with
them
closely.
We
support
the
efforts
that
they
are
undertaking
in
this
investigation
and
we
have
also
been
in
touch
with
the
Indian
government
as
well,” he
said.
”We
have
deep
concerns
about
the
allegations
and
we
would
like
to
see
this
investigation
carried
forward
and
the
perpetrators
held
to
account.
That
is
what
the
US
has
stood
for
from
the
moment
this
emerged
in
public
and
we
will
continue
to
stand
for
that
until
this
fully
plays
its
way
out,”
he
said.
Refusing
to
respond
to
questions
on
the
evidence
of
Canadian
allegations,
Sullivan
said
he
is
not
going
to
speak
to
either
intelligence
or
law
enforcement
matters
from
this
podium.
“I
will
let
that
process
play
out.
We
are
in,
as
I
said
before,
continuous
communication
and
consultation
with
the
Canadian
government
and
we
will
remain
so
as
we
go
forward,” he
said.