Justin Trudeau’s testimony came amid heightened diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, which escalated following these accusations in 2023.
n a startling admission during a public inquiry on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted that Canada had no “hard evidentiary proof” to support allegations linking Indian government agents to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year. Mr Trudeau’s testimony came amid heightened diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, which escalated following these accusations in 2023.
Speaking during a public inquiry into alleged foreign interference in Canada’s federal electoral processes and democratic institutions, Mr Trudeau revealed that his claims about India’s involvement were based on intelligence rather than conclusive evidence.
“I was briefed on the fact that there was intelligence from Canada, and possibly from Five Eyes allies that made it fairly clear, incredibly clear, that India was involved in this… Agents of the government of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil,” he said.
The Five Eyes network, comprising Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, focuses on surveillance and signals intelligence (SIGINT). According to Mr Trudeau, the information presented was alarming enough for the Canadian government to take seriously.
Mr Trudeau alleged that Indian diplomats were engaged in gathering information on Canadians who were critical of the Modi government, with this data reportedly being passed to senior Indian officials and criminal organizations, including the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The Bishnoi gang, notorious for its involvement in organised crime, has been linked by Canadian authorities to violence targeting the South Asian community, specifically pro-Khalistani activists in Canada.
