New York:
American intelligence agencies provided assistance, but intercepted communications by Canadian authorities offered more conclusive evidence linking India to the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. This development has escalated tensions between Canada and India, as reported by The New York Times. Citing Western allied officials, the prominent American newspaper stated that U.S. intelligence agencies provided Canadian counterparts with contextual information that supported Canada’s conclusion of India’s involvement. However, what appears to be the decisive evidence came from intercepted communications of Indian diplomats in Canada, implicating them in the plot.
While U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, American officials have mostly attempted to avoid causing diplomatic friction with India. Nevertheless, this disclosure of U.S. intelligence involvement risks entangling Washington in the diplomatic standoff between Canada and India, precisely at a time when the United States seeks to strengthen its partnership with New Delhi.
The United States only learned about the assassination plot and India’s involvement after the Sikh leader, Nijjar, had been killed. Two individuals fatally shot Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who advocated for Punjab’s independence from India, in the Vancouver area on June 18. In New York, Pakistan expressed that it was unsurprised by Canada’s revelations regarding India’s role in the murder of the pro-Khalistan leader. Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, connected this incident to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ideology of Hindu nationalism, known as Hindutva. Kakar remarked on this during a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, coinciding with the UN General Assembly, stating that “these ideologues of Hindutva” were becoming emboldened beyond their region.
In Islamabad, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch characterized the incident as “a reckless and irresponsible act” that raises questions about India’s credibility as an international partner and its aspirations for increased global responsibilities. She added that India’s network of extraterritorial killings appeared to have expanded globally.
Before his assassination, Canadian officials had repeatedly warned Nijjar of threats against him and advised him to avoid the temple. After his death, U.S. officials informed their Canadian counterparts that they had no advance knowledge of the plot. If they had, they would have promptly alerted Ottawa under the intelligence agencies’ “duty to warn” doctrine, according to two allied officials. Canadian officials had provided Nijjar with a general warning but did not inform him that he was the target of an Indian government conspiracy.
The United States typically shares substantial amounts of intercepted communications with its closest intelligence partners, including Canada. However, in this case, contextual information regarding the assassination was deliberately shared as part of a broader package of intelligence data. The White House declined to comment on the matter.
U.S. officials have been cautious about discussing the assassination since they want to assist their close ally, Canada, without causing a rift with India. Washington aims to expand its relationship with India as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence in Asia. The accusation has strained diplomatic relations between Ottawa and New Delhi, leading to the expulsion of each other’s intelligence officers and India’s suspension of Canadian visas.
Despite the shockwaves, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian officials have refrained from disclosing the specific intelligence they have gathered on India, citing the importance of not compromising the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s ongoing investigation into the assassination. According to The Times, allied officials have not detailed the intelligence shared by the United States. A Canadian government official, speaking anonymously, mentioned that Canada had received intelligence from multiple countries, as reported earlier by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., which had indicated the collection of communications involving Indian diplomats in Canada.