Justin Trudeau admits Canada had no ‘hard proof’ of India’s role in Nijjar killing, only ‘intel’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has admitted that his government did not have hard evidence when it alleged that the Indian government was involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 

Trudeau made the admission while testifying before the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions in Ottawa.

Trudeau said Canada had no proof before publicly accusing India of killing Nijjar and only provided intelligence. He appeared before the committee after the latest charge that Indian diplomats were involved in collecting information and using criminal gangs for targeting members of pro-Khalistan movement in Canada.

“Canada asked India to cooperate. Their (India) ask was for proof. We asked for Indian security agencies to investigate further and cooperate with us. Because at that point what we (Canada) had was intelligence,” Trudeau said.

“Their [Indian government] ask was how much do you know? Give us the evidence you have on this and our response was well…it’s within your security agencies, you should be looking into how much they know. You should be engaging,” said Trudeau. 

“At that point, it was primarily intelligence and not hard evidentiary proof. So we said, let’s work together and look into your security services and maybe we can get that out,” he added. 

The Canadian PM also added that Indian diplomats were collecting information on Canadians and passing it to Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.  

Notably, Trudeau’s Wednesday testimony contradicts his own statement that he made two days ago after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) conducted a press conference alleging the Indian connection to criminal gangs in the North American country. 

“The evidence brought to light by the RCMP cannot be ignored. It leads to one conclusion: it is necessary to disrupt the criminal activities that continue to pose a threat to public safety in Canada. That is why we acted. Because we will always – first and foremost – stand for the right of Canadians to feel safe and secure in their own country,” said Trudeau at the time.

The admission by Trudeau comes hours after Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun claimed in an interview with CBC News that he had been communicating with the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for the last two to three years and sharing intel about the spy network – referring to the Indian government officials.  

“(Canadian Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau’s statement shows Canada’s unwavering commitment to justice, rule of law, and national security. And Sikhs for Justice has been communicating with the Prime Minister’s Office for the last 2-3 years, detailing all the spy network,” said Pannun in an interview with CBC News.

On Monday (Oct 14), India recalled its High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma, and other top diplomats, saying it has lost faith in the Trudeau government to protect its assets. 

“We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials,” read a statement by the ministry. 

Later in the day, six Canadian diplomats, including Charge d’Affaires, Stewart Wheeler were asked to leave India by or before 11:59 pm local time on Saturday (Oct 19).

(With inputs from agencies)