Indian and Canadian security officials and diplomats have recently held multiple meetings, including two between Canada’s intelligence chief and an Indian representative in a third country, to discuss the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to sources cited by Hindustan Times.
Following the Lok Sabha elections, David Vigneault, the former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), had at least two meetings with a high-ranking Indian intelligence official in a third country. These meetings aimed to address the circumstances surrounding Nijjar’s death, as per information from sources on both sides.
David Vigneault retired from his position as CSIS director on July 4 after seven years, with Vanessa Lloyd stepping in as interim CSIS chief. Meanwhile, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, met with Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA), Nathalie G. Drouin, four times this year. These meetings were described as “amicable” exchanges, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The discussions focused on the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 of the previous year. Nijjar had been labeled a terrorist by India in 2020.
In response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations last September suggesting a possible connection between Indian government agents and Nijjar’s killing, New Delhi dismissed the claims as “absurd.”
On July 25, India criticized Canada for not taking action against pro-Khalistan elements who have threatened Indian leaders and diplomats. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “When a democracy adopts different yardsticks to measure or implement the rule of law and freedom of expression, it only exposes its own double standard.”
In recent months, pro-Khalistani groups have displayed photos of Indian leaders and diplomats alongside violent slogans in various locations across Canada. India argues that the core issue between the two nations is Canada’s tolerance of pro-Khalistan elements operating freely on Canadian soil.
Relations between India and Canada have significantly deteriorated since Prime Minister Trudeau’s September allegations of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
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