New Delhi:

The Indian government will “naturally oppose any move giving political space to extremism and advocacy of violence”, the Foreign Ministry said Friday in its weekly press briefing.

The reference was to the Canadian parliament observing a moment of silence in the memory of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed outside a gurdwara in Canada’s British Columbia province last year. A video released by news agency IANS showed MPs observing silence after Speaker Greg Fergus said, “… I understand there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence in memory of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, assassinated in Surrey one year ago today.”

Nijjar was wanted in India for being the “mastermind” of the Khalistani Tiger Force, a designated terror group in this country. Last July, anti-terror agency NIA announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for the capture of Nijjar in connection with the murder of a Hindu priest in Punjab’s Jalandhar.

READ | India’s Kanishka Reply To Canada Parliament’s Nijjar Move

Nijjar is also accused in the 2007 bombing of a cinema in Punjab.

On his killing, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed “agents” of the Indian government were involved in killing Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. Those allegations, repeated frequently since, have led to tense relations between the two nations, including awkward moments between the Canadian leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi when India held the G20 Summit last year.

India has firmly rubbished Canada’s allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated” and noting that Mr Trudeau has yet to provide evidence, of any sort, to back his claim.

“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists… who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Inaction of Canada is a matter of continuing concern,” the Indian side had side.

Nijjar’s murder is being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and four Indian nationals have been arrested.

On the Canadian parliament’s move to honour the memory of Nijjar, the Indian consulate in Vancouver announced a memorial service – to be held on Sunday – to pay tribute to the 329 victims of the Air India flight bombed by Khalistani terrorists in 1985.

The Air India Flight travelling from Montreal to London had blown up 31,000 feet above the ground when a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh terrorists went off. The 329 passengers killed in the incident included 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens, and 24 Indian citizens. This bombing is among the deadliest acts of aviation terrorism.

On that subject an Indian-origin Canada MP, Chandra Arya, said the ideology responsible for the terrorist attack is still alive among a few people in his country.

READ | Canada MP On Kanishka Bombing, Says “Dark Forces Energised Again”

Speaking in the Canadian Parliament, he said the celebration of ex-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by “Khalistani supporters” demonstrated that “dark forces have been energised again”.

He also highlighted the concerns of Hindu Canadians regarding recent incidents.

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This image courtesy of Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) shows a booking photo of 22-year-old Amandeep Singh, a 4th Indian national charged with the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The Canadian authorities on May 12 arrested a fourth Indian national for his role in the killing of separatist Khalistan Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to an official release.

Twenty-two-year-old Amardeep Singh, a resident of Brampton, Surrey, and Abbotsford areas of Canada, has been charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said that Singh was arrested on May 11 for his role in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He was already in the custody of the Peel Regional Police for unrelated firearms charges out, the official release said.

“This arrest shows the nature of our ongoing investigation to hold responsible those that played a role in the homicide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” said Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, the Officer in Charge of IHIT.

Nijjar, 45, was killed outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.

IHIT investigators on May 3 arrested three Indian nationals – Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22) and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh – for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

All three individuals are Indian nationals living in Edmonton and have been charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Karnataka JD(S) MLA H.D. Revanna being taken into custody by officials of a Special Investigation Team in a kidnapping case, on May 4, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

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The Supreme Court forewarned the ED that it may “consider” granting interim bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case due to the ongoing Lok Sabha election. File photo
| Photo Credit: PTI

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A sign asking for an investigation on India’s role in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar is seen at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada on September 20, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Canadian police on May 3 arrested three members of an alleged hit squad investigators in Ottawa believe was tasked by the Government of India with the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in 2023, according to a media report.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September in 2023 of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar.

India has dismissed Mr. Trudeau’s charges as “absurd” and “motivated”. Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of Nijjar, CTV News quoted a senior government source as saying.

Court documents show Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karan Brar are each facing one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in Nijjar’s death.

Nijjar, 45, was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., on June 18, 2023. He was a Canadian citizen.

The indictments on Friday allege the conspiracy unfolded in both Surrey and Edmonton between May 1, 2023 and the date of Nijjar’s killing.

Quoting sources close to the investigation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported that the police are actively investigating possible links to three additional murders in Canada, including the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton.

Members of the hit squad are alleged to have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed, according to the sources.

The men were arrested on May 3 during police operations in at least two provinces, the report said.

Sources said investigators identified the alleged hit squad members in Canada some months ago and have been keeping them under tight surveillance.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are expected to announce the arrests and share some details of their investigation later on May 3, CTV News reported, quoting a senior government source.

India on May 2 rejected fresh comments by Prime Minister Trudeau on the killing of Nijjar and said the remarks once again illustrated the political space given in Canada to separatism, extremism and violence.

Mr. Trudeau addressed a Khalsa Day event in Toronto on April 28 that was attended by some pro-Khalistan supporters. On the sidelines of the event, he told the media that the killing of Nijjar created a “problem” and that he cannot ignore it, in an apparent reference to his earlier allegations of involvement of Indian agents in the assassination.

“PM Trudeau has made such remarks earlier as well. His remarks illustrate once again the political space that has been given in Canada to separatism, extremism, and violence,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi at his weekly media briefing.

“This not only impacts India-Canada relations but also encourages a climate of violence and criminality in Canada to the detriment of its own citizens,” he said when asked about Mr. Trudeau’s remarks.

India on May 29 also summoned the Canadian deputy high commissioner and lodged a strong protest with him over the raising of pro-Khalistan slogans at the event in the presence of Mr. Trudeau and several other leaders. Nijjar was a Khalistani separatist and he was wanted in India on various terror charges.

Days after Mr. Trudeau’s allegations, India asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country to ensure parity. Subsequently, Canada withdrew 41 diplomats and their family members from India.

India has been asserting that its “core issue” with Canada remained that of the space given to separatists, terrorists and anti-India elements in that country. Following Mr. Trudeau’s allegations last year, India temporarily suspended issuance of visas to Canadian citizens. The visa services were resumed several weeks later.

New Delhi:

Amid the diplomatic face-off between India and Canada over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of an India role in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist, a key ally of Ottawa has questioned the lack of evidence of New Delhi’s involvement.

Winston Peters, New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, has told The Indian Express in an interview Canada has not shared any evidence that establishes its allegations.

At the centre of the diplomatic row between India and Canada is the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar (45), chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and one of India’s most-wanted terrorists. Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada’s British Columbia in June.

In September last year, shortly after he attended the G20 summit in India, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau said in parliament that Canadian security agencies were “actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar”. India has trashed the allegations, describing them as “absurd” and “motivated”. Bilateral relations between the countries have since nose-dived. In October, Canada withdrew 41 diplomats, citing an Indian threat to “unethically revoke” their diplomatic immunity. India had then rejected the idea that it had violated the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations. “The state of our bilateral relations, the much higher number of Canadian diplomats in India, and their continued interference in our internal affairs warrant a parity in mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa,” it had said in a statement.

The US, an ally of both Canada and India, has said Washington DC has engaged with the Indian government on the issue. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, “We have been consulting throughout very closely with our Canadian colleagues – and not just consulting, coordinating with them – on this issue. And from our perspective, it is critical that the Canadian investigation proceed, and it would be important that India work with the Canadians on this investigation.”

In fact, the US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen last year said in an interview that “shared intelligence” among partners of Five Eyes – an intelligence alliance of the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – helped lead Canada to make the statements that the Prime Minister (Trudeau) made”.

Responding to questions on whether Canada had shared information on the Nijjar case with its ‘Five Eyes’ allies, Mr Peters said it was handled by the previous New Zealand government.

The 78-year-old, who is visiting India, became Deputy Prime Minister after Centre-Right parties came to power in New Zealand in November last year.

“I wasn’t here, it was handled by the previous government. But look, sometimes when you are hearing Five Eyes information, you are hearing it and saying nothing, it’s coming past you. You don’t know the value or the quality of it, but you are pleased to have it. You don’t know whether there is going to be substantial material value or nothing. But the very, very critical information that matters… This was mainly handled by the previous government.”

“As a trained lawyer, I look okay, so where’s the case? Where’s the evidence? Where’s the finding right here, right now? Well, there isn’t one,” he said.

This is the first time a Five Eyes partner has questioned Canada’s allegations.

During his India trip, Mr Peters met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and also visited Gujarat.

A view of the High Commission of India, in Ottawa, Canada.
| Photo Credit: AP

Canada has welcomed India’s decision to resume some visa services in the country from October 26, saying the move was a “good sign” after “an anxious time” for many Canadians, amid a diplomatic row over the killing of a Sikh separatist.

India’s High Commission in Canada said on October 25 that the country’s officials will resume processing some types of visa applications for Canadians applying from across the country as well as abroad.

Also read | An India-Canada bonding that is in danger of snapping

The decision came a month after New Delhi suspended the services in Canada and for Canadian citizens worldwide as tensions flared between the two nations last month following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India has rejected Mr. Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

On Wednesday afternoon, Immigration Minister Marc Miller called India’s move “a good sign” after “an anxious time” for his many Canadians.

“Our feeling is that a suspension should never have happened in the first place,” he was quoted as saying by CTV News.

He said the “really concerning diplomatic situation with India has created a lot of fear in a lot of communities.” Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan, who is also a Sikh, said the resumption of visa processing is good news, but wouldn’t speculate on what message New Delhi is trying to send.

“It’s good to see that they have resumed that. It would have been nice (if) they didn’t take it in the first place,” Mr. Sajjan told reporters.

He said it was important that Indians and Canadians can go back and forth when it comes to events such as weddings and funerals. He added that Ottawa is still seeking India’s help as police investigate the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India will resume services for entry visas, business visas, medical visas and conference visas.

Marilyne Guevremont, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada (GAC) – the department that manages the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, told CBC News that GAC is aware of the Indian government’s “decision to resume certain categories of visa processing for Canadians.” “Canada and India share important people-to-people ties and India’s resumption of visa services will make it easier for families and businesses to travel between our countries,” Ms. Guevremont.

In a statement, the Canada-India Business Council said it was “a promising development” for trade relations. “It is also a positive sign that both governments have expressed their support for bilateral business and investments amidst these unusual times,” wrote council head Victor Thomas. The development came days after Canada pulled out 41 of its diplomats from India.

Before Mr. Trudeau’s announcement dramatically heightened tensions between Canada and India, New Delhi had publicly denounced protests by Sikh separatist groups outside its diplomatic missions in Canada, as well as posters that appeared to offer cash rewards in exchange for the home addresses of Indian diplomats. India formally called on Canada to better uphold its duty to protect foreign diplomats.

India had also asked Canada to come down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.

High Commission of Canada in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Canada said Thursday it had withdrawn 41 diplomats from India – fallout from a bitter row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

New Delhi planned to revoke diplomatic immunity for all but 21 of Canada’s diplomats and their families by Friday, forcing Ottawa to pull out the others, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said.

“We have facilitated their safe departure from India,” Ms. Joly added. “This means that our diplomats and their families have now left.”

Relations between India and Canada have plunged since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month publicly linked Indian intelligence to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which New Delhi has denied.

Nijjar, who advocated for a separate Sikh state carved out of India, was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.

“Revoking the diplomatic immunity of 41 diplomats is not only unprecedented, but also contrary to international law,” Ms. Joly said Wednesday, but said Canada did not plan to retaliate in kind, so as to not “aggravate the situation.”

“Canada will continue to defend international law, which applies to all nations and will continue to engage with India,” she said.

“Now more than ever we need diplomats on the ground and we need to talk to one another,” Ms. Joly added.

Countermeasures

Canada has called for India to cooperate in the investigation but New Delhi has rejected the allegations and taken countermeasures, such as shutting down visa services for Canadians.

Ottawa also expelled an Indian diplomat over the affair.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said last month in New York that his country would be willing to examine any evidence presented by Canada.

“We have actually been badgering the Canadians. We’ve given them loads of information about organized crime leadership which operates out of Canada,” Mr. Jaishankar said, referring to Sikh separatists.

“We have a situation where actually our diplomats are threatened, our consulates have been attacked and often comments are made (that are) interference in our politics,” he said.

The Indian government has called the Canadian accusations over the killing “absurd” and advised its nationals not to travel to certain Canadian regions “given the increase in anti-Indian activities.”

Also read | Indian students in Canada worried about lack of job opportunities

New Delhi also temporarily stopped processing visa applications in Canada.

Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a Canadian citizen in 2015, was shot dead by two masked assailants in the parking lot of a Sikh temple near Vancouver in June.

Canada is home to some 770,000 Sikhs, who make up about two percent of the country’s population, with a vocal group calling for creating a separate state of Khalistan.

The Sikh separatist movement is largely finished within India, where security forces used deadly force to put down an insurgency in the state of Punjab in the 1980s.

Hundreds of Sikh protesters rallied outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada last month, burning flags and trampling on pictures of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi have created a delicate situation for close Canadian ally Washington, which has in recent months taken steps to move closer to India as the United States seeks to limit Chinese influence in the region.

New York City:

Alleging that the agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada, an independent blogger, Jennifer Zeng, has said that China’s “purpose was to frame India creating discord between India and the West”.

She also alleged that it was a part of the CCP’s sinister “Ignition Plan” to disrupt the world in line with Xi Jinping’s military strategy regarding Taiwan.

Jennifer Zeng is a Chinese born rights activist, journalist who is currently living in the US.

In a video posted on the social media platform, X, Zeng dubbed the killing of Nijjar as an assassination claiming, “Today shocking revelations about the ‘assassination ‘ of Sikh religious leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada have emerged from within the CCP. It is alleged that the ‘assassination’ was carried out by CCP agents.”

On 18 June 2023, Hardeep Nijjar, a designated terrorist in India, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

The independent blogger attributed her allegations to Chinese writer and YouTuber Lao Deng, who according to her, lives in Canada now.

“Lao stated that in early June this year as part of their disruption initiative ‘Ignition Plan’, the CCP Ministry of State Security sent a high-ranking official to Seattle, USA. A secret meeting was held there…The objective was to sabotage relations between India and the West,” Zeng claims in the video posted on X.

“The agents were tasked with assassinating Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh leader in Canada. Following the meeting, the CCP agents meticulously executed the killing plan,” she claimed.

Explaining their modus operandi, the independent blogger alleges, “On June 18th, the agents armed with silenced guns tracked Nijjar. When the deed was done, they destroyed the dash camera in Nijjar’s Car to erase any evidence. After the crime, the agents fled, they burned their weapons and disguises to destroy all traces. The next day they left Canada in Airplanes.”

She also alleged that the killers even purposely learned Indian-accent English. “Therefore, they purposely spoke in India accent English…In fact, these actions were part of the scheme by CCP secret agent to frame India,” said Zeng.

She also claimed that Lao revealed that the CCP’s ‘ignition plan’ was devised this year after the CCP’s two sessions.

There has been no response to Jennifer Zeng’s allegations, posted in the video on Sunday afternonn (US time) from either the Chinese foreign ministry or the Ministry of External Affairs.

The diplomatic ties between India and Canada soured after the Canadian government expelled a senior Indian diplomat accusing India of playing a role in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

In the aftermath, India swiftly retaliated by issuing a statement that denied any involvement in the issue and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat. India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.

Amid escalating tensions, India has called for parity in the number of Canadian diplomats in India.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi earlier this month said that Canadian diplomatic presence is much higher in India and they assume “there would be reduction”.

“On discussions on parity, given the much higher presence of diplomats or diplomatic presence here and their interference in our internal matters, we have sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence. Discussions are ongoing to achieve this. Given that Canadian diplomatic presence is higher, we would assume that there would be a reduction,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

New Delhi:
In a move towards defusing tension with India, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Ottawa is not looking to “escalate”. His government has indicated they are holding “private” talks to maintain a “strong diplomatic footprint” in India

Here are 10 facts from this big story