Justin Trudeau says he had intelligence but no hard proof while going public with Nijjar allegations

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told an inquiry commission on Wednesday that he had intelligence but no “hard evidentiary proof” when he first went public with allegations that Indian government agents may have been involved in killing Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year, The Indian Express reported.

India’s foreign ministry said in the early hours of Thursday that Trudeau’s statement confirmed New Delhi’s position that Ottawa had not presented any evidence to back its claims.

Nijjar was killed by masked gunmen near Vancouver in June last year. In September, Trudeau told Canada’s House of Commons that his country had credible evidence that Indian government agents may have been involved in the killing.

On Wednesday, while testifying before a commission on foreign interference in democratic processes, Trudeau said that he was briefed that there was intelligence from Canada and possibly from the Five Eyes network that Indian agents may have been linked to the killing. Five Eyes is an intelligence sharing network that comprises Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Trudeau told the commission that his government’s immediate response was to engage with the Indian government about Canada’s concerns, The Indian Express reported. He said that India responded by asking Canada to provide evidence for its allegations.

“Our response was, well,...

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