Canada said on Thursday that it continues to “actively” investigate the killing of Khalistani separatist Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The comment, that came in response to statements by New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters during his visit to Delhi, where he spoke about the case in Canada, and evidence shared thus far by Canadian authorities. Canada and New Zealand are part of the “five eyes” intelligence sharing network along with the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia, that regularly coordinate on security issues.
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada is a rule of law country and the protection of our citizens and the defence of our sovereignty are fundamental,” the spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Foreign Ministry, told The Hindu in a written response, doubling down on allegations made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Parliament last year. The spokesperson added that the Canadian authorities remain engaged with New Delhi on this “serious matter” and that it was “pivotal to respect the justice process.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Peters had said that the evidence of Indian government’s involvement, as alleged by Mr. Trudeau, would only be known in its entirety when Canada takes the case to trial in court. In an interview to the Indian Express earlier this week, Mr. Peters seemed to question the quality of evidence, indicating a shift in New Zealand’s position.