Nijjar row: Canada reportedly received 'Five Eyes' intel against India
United States (US) Ambassador to Canada David Cohen has reportedly revealed that "shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners" prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegation of India's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. A Canadian citizen, Nijjar was killed in Surrey, British Columbia, in June. Notably, the "Five Eyes" intel-sharing alliance includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the US.
Why does this story matter?
The diplomatic ties between India and Canada have plummeted to an all-time low after Trudeau on Monday claimed New Delhi was involved in the killing of the Khalistani terrorist in June on Canadian soil. However, India has rejected Ottawa's allegations and labeled them baseless and politically motivated. While both nations have also fired a senior envoy each, New Delhi suspended visa services for Canadians on Thursday.
Details on Cohen's remarks on Nijjar row
During an interview, Cohen told CTV News Channel, "There was shared intelligence among 'Five Eyes' partners that helped lead Canada to (make) the statements that the prime minister made." As per the news agency Associated Press (AP), CTV News released only a portion of Cohen's remarks on Friday night (local time) and will be airing the full interview of the US diplomat on Sunday.
Cohen speaks on India-Canada diplomatic tensions
"Very bluntly, I will say that — and you know me well enough — that I'm not in the habit of commenting on private diplomatic conversations," Cohen said on India-Canada diplomatic tensions, according to PTI. "Look, I will say this was a matter of shared intelligence information," he added. "There was a lot of communication between Canada and the United Stated about this, and I think that's as far as I'm comfortable going," the US envoy further said.
Antony Blinken's comments on diplomatic row
Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged India to cooperate with Canada to ensure "accountability" in the Nijjar murder case. While revealing America was "deeply concerned" over the India-Canada tensions, Blinken added, "It's important that the investigation run its course and lead to that result." "We would hope that our Indian friends would cooperate with that investigation as well," he said.
Canada already shared evidence on Nijjar's killing with India: Trudeau
Last week, Trudeau once again reiterated his allegations that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of the Khalistani leader and alleged that Ottawa had already shared evidence of it with India weeks ago. "We are there to work constructively with India, and we hope that they engage with us so that we can get to the bottom of this very serious matter," added the Canadian PM.
