Government of Canada sources claim that the allegations against India are based on contacts between Indian officials and information from an ally in the Five Eye network

According to a media report citing Canadian government sources, Canada’s accusations of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist in Surrey, which sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries, are based on both human and signals intelligence as well as inputs from an ally from Ottawa’s Five Eye intelligence network.

Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive accusations of the “potential” participation of Indian spies in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian territory on June 18, in British Columbia, tensions between India and Canada erupted early this week. In 2020, India deemed Nijjar to be a terrorist.

In retaliation for Ottawa’s decision to dismiss an Indian official over the matter, India strongly rejected the accusations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian ambassador.

In a months-long inquiry into the Sikh man’s killing that has strained ties with India, the Canadian government has gathered both human and signals information, according to sources cited by CBC News, a unit of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

According to Canadian government sources, this intelligence includes contacts between Indian authorities, including Indian diplomats stationed in Canada.

The intelligence was not only produced in Canada. The national broadcaster said that some were supplied by an anonymous member of the Five Eyes intelligence group.

Canada is a member of the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence partnership, which consists of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. According to the article, the diplomatic crisis developed gradually behind the scenes. According to the report, Canadian authorities traveled to India on many times to ask for help with the investigation into Nijjar’s death.

Jody Thomas, Canada’s national security and intelligence adviser, spent five days in India in September after spending four days there in the middle of August. It said that the last visit coincided with a contentious meeting between Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The bombshell claim at the center of this case — that there is evidence to show Indian government complicity in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian territory — has not been rejected, according to Canadian authorities, when pushed behind closed doors.

According to official sources in Ottawa, Canada is considering retribution but has not yet made a decision.

As tensions between the two countries over the assassination of Nijjar reached an all-time low on Thursday, India demanded Canada to crack down hard on terrorists and anti-India groups operating from its land and halted visa services for Canadians.

India has requested that Canada reduce the size of its diplomatic mission there, stating that both countries’ diplomatic missions should be of comparable size and status. Greater than New Delhi’s diplomatic personnel in Canada is Canada’s diplomatic staff in India.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland refused to comment on the intelligence reports when questioned about them for fear of jeopardizing the probe and Canada’s duties to its Five Eyes allies.

She told CBC News Network, “That partnership depends very much on the confidentiality of those… intelligence conversations.”

When asked whether Canada was considering taking revenge by delaying the issuance of visas to Indian tourists, Freeland said that the government was focused on bringing the murderers to justice.

Geopolitics is not the topic here. This relates to Canada and the security of its citizens. The rule of law is at stake here, she said.

While urging New Delhi to take the situation “extremely seriously” and cooperate with Ottawa to “uncover the truth,” Prime Minister Trudeau stressed on Thursday that Canada is not seeking to “provoke or cause problems” with India.

In response to inquiries about the diplomatic dispute between India and Canada, Trudeau stated, “We call upon the government of India to take seriously this matter and to work with us to shed full transparency and ensure accountability and justice in this matter.”

“We live in a nation where the law is supreme. We will continue to put up the effort required to protect Canadians, respect our principles, and maintain the global system of rules-based order. That is our current priority, said Trudeau, who was in New York for the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations.

When asked whether his administration would retaliate against India for stopping to issue Canadians visas, Trudeau said that it was not their intention to instigate conflict or create trouble.

According to the CBC story, the Canadian government has not made its evidence public and has claimed it may do so at some point during a judicial proceeding.

The US said on Thursday that it supports Canada’s attempts to look into claims that India was responsible for the murder of Nijjar, noting that no nation can have a “special exemption” for such actions.

The Five Eyes ally supplying part of the signals intelligence has not been acknowledged or disputed by the US administration.

However, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan revealed to media at a White House press briefing that the US and Canada had been in regular touch over this matter.

“We are in frequent touch with our Canadian colleagues, but I won’t delve into the specifics of private diplomatic talks. We are actively coordinating with them. We have also spoken with the Indian government, and we support the efforts they are doing in this inquiry, he said.

“We are very troubled by the claims, and we want to see this inquiry continue and those responsible punished. The US has stood for that ever since this issue first came to light, and we will do so until all of its implications have been resolved, he added.

Sullivan said he would not comment to either intelligence or law enforcement issues from this stage and declined to answer questions about the evidence supporting Canadian charges.

“I’ll see that process unfold. We have been in constant discussion and engagement with the Canadian government, as I previously said, and we will continue to do so moving ahead, he added.