On the India-Canada diplomatic row, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “We are deeply concerned by the allegations referenced by Canadian PM Trudeau. We remain in close contact with our Canadian partners. We believe it’s critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and that the perpetrators be brought to justice. We have publicly and privately urged the Indian Government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation.”

At least six men and two vehicles were involved in the killing of Canada-based pro-Khalistan hardliner Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in British Columbia in June, according to a video reviewed by The Washington Post and witness accounts, suggesting a larger and more organised operation than has previously been reported.

Members of the local Sikh community, meanwhile, say authorities have told them little about their investigation of the June 18 killing outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey.

They said police were slow to the scene, and disagreement between agencies caused further delay. Several business owners and residents near the gurdwara say investigators have not visited to ask questions or request security video, The Washington Post reported.

The US provided Canada with intelligence after the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, but communications intercepted by Ottawa were more definitive and led it to accuse India of orchestrating the plot, The New York Times has reported citing sources.

The report came on Saturday as the top US diplomat in Canada confirmed that there was “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners” that had prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s offensive allegation against India in the killing of a Khalistani extremist on Canadian soil.

The allegations have infuriated India, which 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. India also accused Canada of being a safe haven for terrorists.

Even as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused India of being involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which India has refuted as “motivated and absurd”, a report by The Washington Post has highlighted the slow response, turf battles and botched investigation into the case.

The Washington Post has reviewed a 90-second video, which has been shared with the investigators, and spoken to witnesses.

Nijjar, 45, the president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, was gunned down outside its parking lot on June 18. Community members say investigators told them that the assailants fired about 50 bullets, of which 34 hit Nijjar. READ MORE

Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla has links with international terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Delhi Police has found. Dalla’s plan to target leaders of Hindu outfits, sadhus, religious leaders, and people associated with BJP’s ideological arm Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was unearthed during a crackdown by the Delhi Police against two terror suspects earlier this year.

Dalla, who has connections with Canadian gangster Goldy Brar and slain gangster Sukhdool Singh, has been involved in several criminal activities. He has also been associated with extremist groups, including the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). READ MORE

Pro-Khalistan elements have been “operating freely” from Canadian soil for nearly 50 years now in the garb of notions like ‘freedom of expression’ and ‘political advocacy’ but the country maintains “complete silence” on intimidation, violence, drug trafficking by these extremists, sources said on Tuesday.

The bombing of Air India plane Kanishka was perpetuated by Khalistani extremists way back in 1985 and it was one of the biggest terror attacks in the world in the pre-9/11 era.

However, due to the apparent “lackadaisical” approach of Canadian agencies, key accused Talwinder Singh Parmar and his bunch of Khalistani extremists got away scot-free, the sources said. Ironically, Parmar is now a hero of pro-Khalistan extremists in Canada with banned group Sikhs For Justice naming its campaign centre after him.

The premier of Canada’s British Columbia province, where Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed, has said he was not taken into the loop on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive allegations against India and came to know about it only one hour before they came in the public domain. Premier David Eby’s comments came as he met Prime Minister Trudeau on Monday, on a day when some Khalistan supporters held demonstrations outside the Indian missions in Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto.

Tensions flared between India and Canada following Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar, 45, outside a gurdwara in Surrey in British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India has 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. India last week asked Canada to crack down on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.

Eby told CTV News he only learned one hour before the public did about the prime minister’s allegation that India may have been involved in the murder. He said he wants the federal government to share security intelligence with provinces.

Amid the India-Canada standoff, in what highlights the Indian Sikhs’ sentiments, a video posted on social media shows a Sikh follower saying that their kids don’t go to gurdwaras to support the Khalistanis or disrespect the tiranga.

“We are feeling ashamed that the Tiranga is being disrespected,” the man is heard saying in the video.

In a blow to the bilateral ties between India and Canada, Canada PM Justin Trudeau recently accused India of being involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar earlier this year. The Ministry of External Affairs said the claims made by Trudeau are “motivated and absurd”. READ MORE

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made unwarranted claims last week accusing India of playing a role in the death of Khalistani separatist-terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar but the Liberal Party chief has been silent on Pakistan’s state-sponsored terror and repression of minorities.

Justin Trudeau has not only remained silent on terrorism emanating from Pakistan’s soil but has also remained quiet when Pakistan clamps down on the same liberties he claims to protect.

Aside from issuing travel advisories, the Canadian government under Trudeau’s leadership has not acted tough on Pakistan. A recent report by Foreign Policy also said that Trudeau failed to act on Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) reports which claimed that Communist Party of China (CPC) is responsible for espionage and counterespionage efforts in Canada. READ MORE

India has been providing inputs and evidence of Khalistani terrorist activity on Canadian soil for years now, but Ottawa didn’t act on these even after ‘Referendum 2020’ called by the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) group, top sources told News18.

Officials said the Government of India, through diplomatic channels, has provided dossiers, updated locations and details of arms training of pro-Khalistan entities (PKEs) to various countries, including Canada. The first detailed information was provided to Canada in 2020 after the referendum for a separate Khalistan was organised by PKEs in Brampton. READ MORE

The International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as the Interpol, has issued a Red Corner Notice against a member of the Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Karanvir Singh.

Singh, who is allegedly a close aide of terrorists like Wadhawa Singh and an operative of BKI, has been facing multiple terror charges in Punjab. According to sources, he is also behind the recent killings in Punjab. Singh has fled to Pakistan and is currently helping the ISI. His role is under scanner in arms dropping through drones as well. READ MORE

After the National Investigation Agency (NIA) confiscated the properties of Canada-based ‘designated individual terrorist’ Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, it is learnt that the government has asked the investigative agencies to identify the properties of other terrorists wanted in India sitting abroad.

Sources privy to the matter said that the government has asked the agencies to identify the properties of the terrorists settled abroad.

The source also said that the government has asked the agencies to identify Khalistani terrorists settled in countries like the US, UK, Canada and Australia and cancel their Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) so that they don’t come to India. READ MORE

Canada’s Deputy Army Chief Major General Peter Scott said, “I am fully aware of, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement. The government’s stance and the government request for India to participate in, and cooperate in the investigation. But, really, that has no impact on us here at the Indo-Pacific conference. We’re really here to build relationships from army to army, and we’ll let our governments deal with that issue, themselves.”

The Deputy Chief of the Canadian Army is heading the Canadian delegation at the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference.