Indian envoy asks Canada for evidence on Nijjar killing allegations

India's High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, has said that the Canadian government needs to provide evidence to substantiate its allegation against New Delhi of being involved in the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar instead of repeatedly claiming to have “credible information."

Speaking to CBC news on Monday (January 13), the Indian envoy made the remarks while responding to a question regarding the allegation made by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing India of interfering in Canada’s internal affairs by orchestrating the Nijjar’s murder.

"Well, where is the evidence? Every time you keep on saying 'credible information'. We have always said it's preposterous and absurd; it's something we don't do. These are allegations which have not been backed by evidence. There are always easy-to-do acquisitions. Acquisitions are easy,” Patnaik said as quoted by ANI.

‘State not implicated’

Pointing out that the ongoing case in Canada regarding Nijjar’s killing does not implicate India, Patnaik pointed out that the case has been lodged against four individuals and not against a state.

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"You have accused us, but where have we been implicated? The case is going on in court... And the case in court is also against four individuals. Where is the case against a state? It's a talk given by a former prime minister backed by his team at that time, which he had; they had to back it. Where is the evidence on the ground?" he said.

‘Need evidence for action’

Elaborating further, Patnaik said that if Canada has concrete evidence to back its claims, then it should share it with India, and New Delhi will take action, adding that evidence is required for action to be taken.

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"We can go into who said what. At the end of the day, it's about evidence on the ground," Patnaik said, reiterating India's long-standing position that it is willing to act if credible proof is presented. "We have said very clearly, if there is evidence ever coming out, if you provide us evidence, we will take action ourselves. We don't need you to take action on that. What we need is for you to give us evidence for us to take action," said Patnaik.

Taking a veiled dig at the Canadian authorities over the Nijjar issue, the Indian envoy asked whether the accusation made by them do not require supporting evidence.

"When you accuse us, what happens here is that my accusations need evidence. Your accusations don't need evidence, right?" He further added, "You have accusations; you have to back them up with evidence. You can't say I accuse you, and you have to now justify yourselves."

Canadian PM expected to visit India

However, Patnaik also said that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s expected visit to India after the tabling of the Union Budget on February 1 is a sign that "trust is back in the system” adding that diplomats on both sides are working to "catch up" on initiatives delayed due to a "slight gap" in relations.

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"In a shifting global trade landscape, Canada's new government is focused on what we can control. We're going to double our non-US exports over the next decade -- to secure new opportunities for Canadian businesses, and create tens of thousands of new careers for Canadian workers." Carney stated in a post on X on Monday.

The remarks were made against the backdrop of strained relations between the two countries in recent years, largely stemming from New Delhi’s concerns over what it sees as Canada’s lenient approach towards Khalistani separatist elements, as well as Ottawa’s allegations that Indian agents were involved in the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Canada in 2023. India has firmly denied the charges and described them as “politically motivated.”