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Alleged Indian government involvement in plots to assassinate Sikh separatists living in the West

US delegation visits India to discuss alleged plot to murder Sikh separatist

White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer led a US delegation to New Delhi on Monday where he noted the formation of an investigative panel by India to probe an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on US soil.

"Mr. Finer acknowledged India's establishment of a Committee of Enquiry to investigate lethal plotting in the United States and the importance of holding accountable anyone found responsible," the White House said in a statement on Monday.

Last week, the US Justice Department alleged that an Indian government official directed an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on US soil, while it announced charges against a man accused of orchestrating the attempted murder.

US officials have named the target of the attempted murder as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

In response, India expressed concern about one of its government officials being linked to the plot, from which it dissociated itself, as being against government policy.




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US delegation visits India to discuss alleged plot to murder Sikh separatist

White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer led a US delegation to New Delhi on Monday where he noted the formation of an investigative panel by India to probe an unsuccessful plot to assassinate…
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Diplomatic blow to India, as Joe Biden turns down Republic Day invite

India has once again become a victim of the Narendra Modi-led government's extremist policies. The country faces a huge diplomatic defeat and has become a source of embarrassment.

Following Canada, India's diplomatic relations with the United States have also faced a blow. Washington has also turned its back on India after Indian agencies’ plans to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannu came to the fore.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited US President Joe Biden to the Republic Day and Quad Summit in January 2024.

The Quad Summit is essentially a network of establishing diplomatic relations between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. The Modi government decided to invite US President Joe Biden as a special guest in an effort to appease him.

However, according to the US ambassador to India, Joe Biden will not join the Republic Day Parade.

Previously, the Quad Summit faced delays when it was held in India. Before the January 2024 date, the announcement to hold the summit in May this year was also kept on hold.

Source : Samaa News
 
The Bald Eagle said:
Diplomatic blow to India, as Joe Biden turns down Republic Day invite

India has once again become a victim of the Narendra Modi-led government's extremist policies. The country faces a huge diplomatic defeat and has become a source of embarrassment.

Following Canada, India's diplomatic relations with the United States have also faced a blow. Washington has also turned its back on India after Indian agencies’ plans to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannu came to the fore.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited US President Joe Biden to the Republic Day and Quad Summit in January 2024.

The Quad Summit is essentially a network of establishing diplomatic relations between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. The Modi government decided to invite US President Joe Biden as a special guest in an effort to appease him.

However, according to the US ambassador to India, Joe Biden will not join the Republic Day Parade.

Previously, the Quad Summit faced delays when it was held in India. Before the January 2024 date, the announcement to hold the summit in May this year was also kept on hold.

Source : Samaa News
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Message to India: Do not to get too cozy with Russia.

Putin recently lavished praised PM Modi out in the open...
 
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that his decision to make allegations in public about a possible Indian government link and the killing of a pro-Khalistan separatist was intended to "put a chill" on them from repeating a similar action.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Trudeau's allegations on September 18 of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

The prime minister said the message he delivered in the House of Commons that day was intended as an "extra level of deterrence" to keep Canadians safer.

Trudeau said his public statement came after weeks of "quiet diplomacy" that included raising the allegations with India at the highest levels.

"We knew it would be difficult conversations, but we also knew that this was an important moment for India to be demonstrating its leadership on the world stage with the G20," Trudeau said. "And we felt that we could use that as a constructive opportunity to work together."

"Too many Canadians were worried that they were vulnerable," Trudeau said.

"We felt that all the quiet diplomacy and all the measures that we put in -- and ensured that our security services put in to keep people safe in the community -- needed a further level of deterrence, perhaps of saying publicly and loudly that we know, or we have credible reasons to believe, that the Indian government was behind this," he said. "And therefore put a chill on them continuing or considering doing anything like this."

Trudeau also said Canada warned India that what it knew would eventually come out and that while Ottawa had managed to keep things "on a diplomatic level" leading up to the G20 summit, it could not control much beyond that.​

Source : India Today
 
Certainly this killing by Indian agencies has soured India's relations with Canada. India must now come clean on their crimes or else face the consequences.
 
The Bald Eagle said:
Certainly this killing by Indian agencies has soured India's relations with Canada. India must now come clean on their crimes or else face the consequences.
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Yeah for sure. Indians are quaking in their boots thinking of the consequences I am sure...
 
An Indian man accused of conspiring to kill a US-based Sikh separatist leader has asked India's top court to intervene in his case.

Nikhil Gupta has been charged by the US government with trying to hire a hitman to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Mr Gupta is in jail in Prague and has asked the Indian Supreme Court to aid his release and help him get a fair trial.

His lawyer Rohini Musa has alleged that Mr Gupta has been detained illegally.

She also claimed that the process to extradite Mr Gupta to the US had started.

The extradition order has been passed against him. But the copy of the order has not been furnished to us," Ms Musa, who represents Mr Gupta's family, told the BBC.

"There are reports that he has already been extradited. We have not been able to get any information from him and his whereabouts," she said.

The BBC has emailed the US Embassy in The Czech Republic for a response to these allegations.

Mr Gupta's family has also asked for an Indian advocate to represent him in the Czech Republic and the US.

In November, US prosecutors charged Mr Gupta with a plot to kill at least four Sikh separatists in North America, including Mr Pannun.

They said that Mr Gupta had paid $100,000 (£79,000) in cash to a hitman to assassinate Mr Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen, in New York.

But the hitman was actually an undercover federal agent, prosecutors said.

He was allegedly directed by an Indian government official who was not named or charged in the indictment.

The charges against Mr Gupta carry up to 20 years in prison.

India has designated Mr Pannun a terrorist, an allegation he denies, claiming to be an activist who believes in the Khalistan movement.

Mr Gupta's petition alleges that he was arrested by "self-claimed US agents" without any arrest warrant and has not been given a fair trial till now.

It also claims that he has been under solitary confinement where his fundamental rights have been violated and that he was forced to consume beef and pork during his detention, which goes against his religious beliefs.

The petition says that he has been politically persecuted and he is wrongly accused of conspiring with the Indian government to kill an American citizen in the US where "he has no connections or business".

Source: BBC

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Nikhil Gupta: India man accused of US murder plot appeals to court

Nikhil Gupta has been accused by the US government of conspiring to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader.
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India will examine any information on plot to kill Sikh separatist in US - Modi tells FT

India will look into any information it receives on its alleged links to a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader in the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Financial Times newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.

The issue comes at a delicate juncture for both India and the Biden administration in the United States as they try to build closer ties in the face of shared concerns about China's growing power.

"If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it," Modi told the paper, as he played down any impact on diplomatic ties with Washington because of the issue.

"If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law."

Last month the U.S. Justice department said an Indian government official had directed the plot, and unveiled charges against a man accused of orchestrating the attempted murder.

India expressed concern about the linkage and dissociated itself from the plot, saying it would formally investigate the concerns of the United States, and take 'necessary follow-up action' on the findings of a panel set up on Nov. 18.

U.S. officials have named the target of the attempted murder as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

Pannun is the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, a group that India labelled an "unlawful association" in 2019, citing its involvement in extremist activities. Subsequently, in 2020, India listed Pannun as an "individual terrorist".

News of the U.S. plot came two months after Canada said it was looking at credible allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, in a Vancouver suburb.

India fiercely rejected Ottawa's accusations.

Modi said India and Washington shared a "mature and stable partnership".

"Security and counter-terrorism co-operation has been a key component of our partnership," he said. "I don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries."

Source: Reuters

 
India is attempting to mess with world powers. The consequences will be adverse. Mark my words.
 

Canada's Trudeau sees shift in India relations after US plot revealed -CBC​

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he senses a change in India's tone with Ottawa after the United States warned New Delhi about its involvement in a thwarted plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader on US soil, the CBC reported on Wednesday.

"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," Trudeau said in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away," he added.

Trudeau announced Sept. 18 that Canadian intelligence agencies were pursuing credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, 45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June, upending diplomatic ties between the two nations.

The US Justice Department in November charged a man accused of orchestrating an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist - a US citizen of Indian origin living in New York City, alleging that an Indian government official directed the plan. US officials did not name the targeted person.

After the US revelations, Canadian officials pressed India to cooperate in its investigation of the June murder, which drew renewed attention to the movement for a Sikh homeland in northern India.

New Dehli had angrily rejected Canada’s claim, sparking a diplomatic row, with both sides expelling diplomats and trade talks potentially destabilized. By contrast, India said it was taking the US indictment seriously and investigating.

Both the United States and Canada are seeking to build better ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

"We don't want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over this. We want to be working on that trade deal. We want to be advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy," Trudeau told the CBC.

"But it is foundational for Canada to stand up for people's rights, for people's safety, and for the rule of law. And that's what we're going to do," Trudeau said.

Source : The Express Tribune
 
Last few months we've been seeing some online folks inflating RAW's tires based on these murders and I'm sure many Bollywood spy thrillers had already been drafted. People even were mentioning how Mossad may have trained the RAW agents in these "sophisticated" operations...

Yet here we see it was just crude mafia style hits and that they couldn't even figure out that the local hitman they hire are undercover agents. Also these targets like Pannun are not even under any complex protection or identity masking they are simply going about their day.

FearlessRoar said:
An Indian man accused of conspiring to kill a US-based Sikh separatist leader has asked India's top court to intervene in his case.

Nikhil Gupta has been charged by the US government with trying to hire a hitman to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Mr Gupta is in jail in Prague and has asked the Indian Supreme Court to aid his release and help him get a fair trial.

His lawyer Rohini Musa has alleged that Mr Gupta has been detained illegally.

She also claimed that the process to extradite Mr Gupta to the US had started.

The extradition order has been passed against him. But the copy of the order has not been furnished to us," Ms Musa, who represents Mr Gupta's family, told the BBC.

"There are reports that he has already been extradited. We have not been able to get any information from him and his whereabouts," she said.

The BBC has emailed the US Embassy in The Czech Republic for a response to these allegations.

Mr Gupta's family has also asked for an Indian advocate to represent him in the Czech Republic and the US.

In November, US prosecutors charged Mr Gupta with a plot to kill at least four Sikh separatists in North America, including Mr Pannun.

They said that Mr Gupta had paid $100,000 (£79,000) in cash to a hitman to assassinate Mr Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen, in New York.

But the hitman was actually an undercover federal agent, prosecutors said.

He was allegedly directed by an Indian government official who was not named or charged in the indictment.

The charges against Mr Gupta carry up to 20 years in prison.

India has designated Mr Pannun a terrorist, an allegation he denies, claiming to be an activist who believes in the Khalistan movement.

Mr Gupta's petition alleges that he was arrested by "self-claimed US agents" without any arrest warrant and has not been given a fair trial till now.

It also claims that he has been under solitary confinement where his fundamental rights have been violated and that he was forced to consume beef and pork during his detention, which goes against his religious beliefs.

The petition says that he has been politically persecuted and he is wrongly accused of conspiring with the Indian government to kill an American citizen in the US where "he has no connections or business".

Source: BBC

www.bbc.com

Nikhil Gupta: India man accused of US murder plot appeals to court

Nikhil Gupta has been accused by the US government of conspiring to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader.
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Gurpatwant Singh Pannun: Narendra Modi breaks silence on US murder plot allegation


Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India will "definitely look into" any evidence provided on its alleged links to an assassination plot in the US.

In November, the US charged an Indian man of conspiring to murder a Sikh separatist leader in New York.

Mr Modi told the Financial Times that the allegations will not affect ties between India and the US.

This is the first time he has spoken publicly about the issue.

"If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law," the prime minister told the newspaper.

The target of the attempted assassination, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is a dual US-Canadian citizen who is a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement which advocates for a separate Sikh state.

US prosecutors claimed that a man named Nikhil Gupta had paid $100,000 (£79,000) in cash to a hitman to assassinate Mr Pannun and that he was allegedly directed by an Indian government official.

India has designated Mr Pannun a terrorist, but he denies the allegation and says he's an activist.

The allegations came about two months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of having links to the murder of another Sikh separatist leader named Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on 18 June in Canada.

India has strongly denied the allegations and accused Canada of providing shelter to "Khalistani terrorists and extremists" who threaten India's security.

Delhi has also repeatedly claimed that Ottawa has not yet shared concrete evidence to back the allegation.

The diplomatic row has damaged India-Canada ties.

In an interview with Canada's public broadcaster CBC, Mr Trudeau said he went public with the allegations against India after weeks of quiet diplomacy.

He said his aim was to "put a chill on India" and deter any alleged agents who were thinking of carrying out further attacks in Canada.

Mr Trudeau added that he had noticed a shift in tone from India after the US came forward with their own allegations.

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away," he said.

The Indian government has often reacted sharply to demands by Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan.

The Khalistan movement peaked in India in the 1980s with a violent insurgency centred in Sikh-majority Punjab state. It was quelled by force and has little resonance in India now, but is still popular among some in the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK.

Experts say that the recent accusations of extra-judicial killings of Sikh separatists threaten to dent India's ties with the US, which have been steadily growing.

However, Mr Modi told the Financial Times that he feels confident about the upward trajectory of the relationship.

"There is strong bipartisan support for the strengthening of this relationship, which is a clear indicator of a mature and stable partnership," he said."I don't think it is appropriate to link a few incidents with diplomatic relations between the two countries," he added.

He also said that India was concerned about the "activities of certain extremist groups based overseas".



www.bbc.com

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun: Narendra Modi breaks silence on US murder plot allegation

The US has accused an Indian man of conspiring to murder a Sikh separatist leader in New York.
www.bbc.com
 
The difference in India's response to US and Canada shows that canada has no standing in the world and even a third world country and slap it.
 
Five Eyes nations public rebukes have shaken Modi into backtracking and acknowledging their wrongdoing. Canada doesn't need to slap Bharat, a nudge to their brothers across the border and the escalation is enough to teach Bharat it's boundaries.
 
Amid Nijjar row, India declares Canada-based goon ‘terrorist

NEW DELHI: The ministry of home affairs has designated Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa as a terrorist. The move comes amid continuing strain in diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Ottawa over PM Justin Trudeau’s claim earlier of Indian involvement in the killing of wanted Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. According to an official release by MHA, 34-year-old Landa, son of Niranjan Singh and Parminder Kaur, has a permanent residence at VP0 Harike in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab, bordering Pakistan.

Under the UAPA Mt. 1967 (37 of 1967), “Clause (a) of sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) of section 35 of the said Act empowers the central government to add the name of an individual in the Fourth Schedule to the said Act if it believes that he is involved in terrorism,” MHA said on Friday. Landa currently resides in Edmonton, capital of Alberta in Canada, and is a member of Babbar Khalsa International. According to MHA, Babbar Khalsa International is listed as a terrorist organisation as per “number I of the First Schedule to the said Act.” Landa was backed by the cross-border agency and was involved in the terror attack through a shoulder-mounted rocket-propelled grenade on the building of Punjab’s State Intelligence Headquarters at Mohali, MHA added. He was also “involved in the supply of IEDs, arms, sophisticated weapons, and explosives from across the border to various modules for carrying out terrorist activities in Punjab”, according to the MHA release. Landa was also involved in criminal cases related to raising of terror modules, extortion and killings. planting IEDs, smuggling weapons and narcotics and using funds or proceeds thereof for terrorist acts in the Punjab and other parts of the country, MHA added.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Amid Nijjar row, India declares Canada-based goon ‘terrorist’ | India News - Times of India

India News: NEW DELHI: The ministry of home affairs has designated Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa as a terrorist.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com timesofindia.indiatimes.com
 
Czech court rules Indian man can be extradited to US, justice minister to decide

A Czech appeals court has ruled that Prague can extradite to the United States an Indian man accused by the U.S. of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil, the Justice Ministry said on Friday.

A final decision on the extradition of Nikhil Gupta, 52, will be in the hands of Justice Minister Pavel Blazek once the ruling is delivered to all parties in the case, a ministry spokesperson told Reuters.

Gupta has been accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of working with an Indian government official on the plot to kill a New York City resident who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.

Gupta was arrested by Czech authorities in June last year when he travelled from India to Prague.

Czech news website www.seznamzpravy.cz, which first reported on the appeals decision, said Gupta had argued his identity was mistaken and that he was not the man the United States was looking for. He described the case was political, it said.

"The time frame for the minister's decision cannot be assumed at this point," the Justice Ministry spokesman said, adding that Gupta could be expected to take all steps possible to try to prevent extradition.

The minister has three months to turn to the Supreme Court in case he has doubts about the lower court' decisions, the spokesperson said.

The Prague High Court rejected Gupta's appeal against a December decision by a lower court that ruled that extradition is allowed.



 
Cricket Warrior said:
Czech court rules Indian man can be extradited to US, justice minister to decide

A Czech appeals court has ruled that Prague can extradite to the United States an Indian man accused by the U.S. of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil, the Justice Ministry said on Friday.

A final decision on the extradition of Nikhil Gupta, 52, will be in the hands of Justice Minister Pavel Blazek once the ruling is delivered to all parties in the case, a ministry spokesperson told Reuters.

Gupta has been accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of working with an Indian government official on the plot to kill a New York City resident who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.

Gupta was arrested by Czech authorities in June last year when he travelled from India to Prague.

Czech news website www.seznamzpravy.cz, which first reported on the appeals decision, said Gupta had argued his identity was mistaken and that he was not the man the United States was looking for. He described the case was political, it said.

"The time frame for the minister's decision cannot be assumed at this point," the Justice Ministry spokesman said, adding that Gupta could be expected to take all steps possible to try to prevent extradition.

The minister has three months to turn to the Supreme Court in case he has doubts about the lower court' decisions, the spokesperson said.

The Prague High Court rejected Gupta's appeal against a December decision by a lower court that ruled that extradition is allowed.



Click to expand...

Very good decision from Czech court.

The guy should be imprisoned for attempted murder (if convicted).
 
Canada minister says study permits to students from India drop due to dispute

OTTAWA (Reuters) -The number of study permits Canada issued to Indian students fell sharply late last year after India ejected Canadian diplomats who would process the permits and fewer Indian students applied due to a diplomatic dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada, a top Canadian official told Reuters.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller added in an interview that he believes the number of study permits to Indians is unlikely to rebound soon. Diplomatic tensions erupted after Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September said there was evidence connecting Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

The tensions are likely to weigh on the numbers going forward, Miller said.

"Our relationship with India has really halved our ability to process a lot of applications from India," Miller said.

In October, Canada was forced to pull 41 diplomats, or two-thirds of its staff, out of India on orders from New Delhi. In addition, the dispute has prompted Indian students to seek to study in other countries, a spokeswoman for the minister said.

Those factors led to a more than 80% drop in study permits issued to Indians in October and November of last year compared with the first two months of the third quarter, according to official data that have not been previously reported.

C. Gurusubramanian, counselor for the High Commission of India in Ottawa, said some Indian international students were looking at other options besides Canada due to "concerns, in the recent past, regarding lack of residential and adequate teaching facilities" at some Canadian institutions.

Indians have formed the largest group of international students in Canada in recent years, with more than 41% - or 225,835 - of all permits going to them in 2022.

"I can't tell you about how the diplomatic relationship will evolve, particularly if police were to lay charges," Miller said. "It's not something that I see any light at the end of the tunnel on."

International students are a cash cow for Canadian universities as they bring in about C$22 billion ($16.4 billion) annually and slowdown will be a blow to the institutions.

In September, Canada said there were "credible" allegations linking Indian agents to the murder of Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb. India has rejected that allegation. Canadian authorities have yet to charge anyone for the killing.

Last year, the U.S. Justice Department charged a 52-year-old man who had worked with an Indian government employee with plotting to assassinate a New York City resident who advocated for a Sikh sovereign state in northern India.

The Canadian government also has been seeking to reduce the overall number of international students entering the country, in part as a response to an ongoing housing shortage.

"Right now we have a challenge with the sheer volume" of students coming in, Miller said. "It's just gotten out of control and needs to be reduced - I would say - significantly over a short period of time."

Miller said the government would introduce other measures to lower the volume of international students during the first half of this year, including a possible cap.

Canada is a popular destination for international students since it is relatively easy to obtain work permits after finishing courses.

The government intends to address "a very generous" program for postgraduate work permits and to crack down on "fly-by-night" universities, called designated learning institutes, he said.

The government already plans curbs to the number of off-campus work hours for international students, which the food service and retail industries fear could cause labor shortages.

In 2023, the government projected that some 900,000 international students would study in Canada that year, about three times that of a decade ago. Miller said 40% of those students - or some 360,000 - were Indian. The number of permits given to Indian students declined by 4% last year, but they remained the largest group.
​
SOURCE: REUTERS
 
Pakistan to take up Indian ‘target killings’ issue with US, Canada

Pakistan has decided to reach out to the United States and Canada to brief them about India’s campaign to carry out target assassinations in sheer violation of international law and principles of the UN charter.

Islamabad on Thursday accused India of orchestrating “extra-territorial and extra-judicial” killings in the country. Canada and the United States in the recent past have also alleged India for conducting similar assassinations.

In the last two years, over a dozen people were assassinated in mysterious target killings in Pakistan. Most of those who were killed had one thing in common: They were either Kashmiris or linked with its cause and all of them were wanted by India one way or the other.

Pakistan, for so long, kept a mum over those mysterious killings.

However, on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Cyrus Qazi appeared on the media and disclosed that India was behind at least in two cases based on the investigations conducted by the authorities so far. The two target killings involve Shahid Latif, who was killed in Sialkot in October 2023 and Muhammad Riaz, who was murdered in Rawalakot in September the same year.

Pakistan, according to the foreign secretary, has credible evidence to link Indian secret agencies with the target killings.

An official familiar with the investigations told The Express Tribune on Friday that Pakistan would brief Canada and the US about its investigations. Similarly, it would also take into confidence members of the UNSC about the “sinister” campaign by India.

The official said that India used a very sophisticated and well-organised campaign to take out those targets. The Indian agents, operating from a third country, used petty criminals and people with a “Jihadi mindset” to execute their plans in Pakistan.

They used different techniques. For example, in the case of Muhammad Riaz, an Indian agent tried to trace him by telling the locals that Latif owed Rs20 million to him and he wanted to find his whereabouts. Many local people involved in this sinister campaign were misled and, in some cases, did not even know about the plans of their handlers operating from outside.

The Indian agents through local assets tried to brainwash one Abdullah on religious lines to assassinate Shahid Latif. The official said that Pakistan not only had confessional statements of the accused but had the money trail, linking Indian agents with those killings.

The official emphasised that Pakistan’s move to highlight such cases must not be taken in a “usual, India-Pakistan public posturing.”

“This is a serious issue and a breach of our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the official added, who would not provide details as to why India was after them.

The official made it clear that India never shared any information about those who got killed in those target assassinations. “Even if someone did a crime, there has to be due process of law. No country would allow anyone to carry out such extra-judicial and extra-territorial killings,” the official stressed.

Source: Express Tribune

tribune.com.pk

Pakistan to take up terror web issue with US, Canada | The Express Tribune

Official says Islamabad would also take into confidence members of UNSC about India’s ‘sinister’ campaign
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
 
Trudeau aide: India is cooperating with Canada amid tensions over murdered Sikh

India is cooperating with Canada and bilateral ties are improving after tensions spiked over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia, a top Canadian official told CTV in an interview published on Friday.

Diplomatic relations soured after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year said Canada was "actively pursuing credible allegations" that Indian agents were potentially linked to the June 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. India has denied any formal government role in Nijjar's murder.

"I wouldn't describe them (the Indians) as not cooperating. I think we've made advancements in that relationship," Jody Thomas, Trudeau's national security adviser, told CTV.

CTV published an excerpt from the interview on its website on Friday. The full interview will be aired on Sunday.

Canada has been pressing India to cooperate in its investigation of Nijjar's killing. Last November, U.S. authorities said they had thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States.

"The information that they (the Americans) revealed supported our position and our assertions with India, and India is working with us ... far more closely to resolve this," Thomas told CTV. Trudeau said in December he sensed a change in New Delhi's tone with Ottawa after the U.S. case.

The acrimony has delayed discussions on a free-trade deal and threatened Canada's plans to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region, where New Delhi's cooperation is critical to efforts to check an increasingly assertive China.

"Our ability to function in the Indo Pacific does rely on having a healthy relationship with India. And I think that we are working back towards that," Thomas said. Around 2 million Canadians, or 5% of the population, have Indian heritage.

Canada withdrew 41 diplomats from India after New Delhi in September asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence following Trudeau's remarks.

Source: Reuters

 
Trapped by Security Forces in J&K, Local And Foreign Terrorists Using 'Hybrid Tactics': Intel Sources to News18

Lack of weapons and movement restrictions are causing problems for local and foreign terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and they are turning to “hybrid tactics”, top intelligence sources told CNN-News18 on Thursday.

The killing of Punjab resident Amrit Pal Singh in Srinagar on Wednesday points to this and is a cause of concern for security forces in J&K, they added.

The network of overground workers (OGWs) was earlier very strong but that has been completely uprooted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and local security forces, said the sources.

So, they added, the terrorists are now asking some juice seller or shopkeeper who is angry with the government to kill outsiders who are in the Valley for some reason.

“This is a worry for everyone because providing protection to all individuals who have come here to earn is a difficult job,” said an official.

On the other hand, this suits Pakistani agency ISI also as in case of any arrest, it seems very organic and that locals are upset with the government, the sources said.

ISI’s agenda is to keep the security forces busy in the Valley through this hybrid terrorism and kill personnel in Rajouri and Poonch, intelligence officials said.

The second most important target, they said, is the new breed of politicians who want democracy and are aligned with the BJP. “The government has identified them and is trying to give them protection, but local and foreign terrorists are keen that panic should remain in the Valley,” said an official.

Source: News18

www.news18.com

Trapped by Security Forces in J&K, Local And Foreign Terrorists Using 'Hybrid Tactics': Intel Sources to News18 - News18

The killing of Punjab resident Amrit Pal Singh in Srinagar on Wednesday points to this and is a cause of concern for security forces in J&K, the sources said. Terrorists are now asking some juice seller or shopkeeper who is angry with the government to kill outsiders who are in the Valley for...
www.news18.com www.news18.com
 
Canada Accuses India Of Interfering In Its Elections, Centre's Response

Canada has accused India and Pakistan of meddling in its elections - a charge unequivocally rejected by India. Canada's spy agency released an unclassified summary tabled as part of a federal inquiry examining potential foreign interference, alleging clandestine activities by both India and Pakistan during the 2019 and 2021 general elections. India has called the probe 'baseless' and said that it is Canada who has been interfering in their internal affairs.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) summary points to concerted efforts by India and Pakistan to influence Canada's electoral processes. India, however, vehemently denies these allegations, dismissing them as baseless and redirecting the focus to what it perceives as Canada's meddling in its internal affairs.

The CSIS documents allege that in 2021, the Indian government targeted specific electoral districts believed to harbour Indian-origin voters sympathetic to the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan stances. The agency alleged that a government proxy agent may have attempted to sway democratic processes through illicit financial support to favored candidates, potentially remaining undisclosed to the recipients.

Similarly, in 2019, officials from the Pakistani government purportedly engaged in clandestine activities aimed at advancing Pakistan's interests within Canada's political landscape.

While India refuted the claims and assured its commitment to non-interference in other nations' democratic processes, Canada's inquiry into foreign meddling has escalated tensions in already strained ties between the two countries.

In January, Canada announced its intention to investigate allegations of foreign interference in its national elections, with a particular focus on India, according to a Bloomberg report.

"We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into ...We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in February.

"It is not the government of India's policy to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs," he added.

The decision to launch a public inquiry came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initiated the process last year in response to leaked intelligence reports suggesting China had attempted to influence Canadian elections by backing candidates sympathetic to President Xi Jinping's regime.

The appointed commissioner for the inquiry was mandated to probe potential interference by various actors, including India, China, Russia, and other governmental and non-governmental entities during both the 2019 and 2021 election cycles.

Mr Trudeau's previous allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil have become a flashpoint in bilateral relations between the two nations.

Despite India's dismissal of these allegations as absurd, the fallout resulted in diplomatic repercussions, including the temporary suspension of visas for Canadians and a reduction in diplomatic presence.

www.ndtv.com

Canada Accuses India Of Interfering In Its Elections, Centre's Response

Canada has accused India and Pakistan of meddling in its federal elections - a charge unequivocally rejected by India. Canada's spy agency released an unclassified summary tabled as part of a federal inquiry examining potential foreign interference.
www.ndtv.com www.ndtv.com
 
Pro-Khalistan Slogans Raised In Presence Of Canada PM On Khalsa Day Event

Strong pro-Khalistan slogans were raised as Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau stepped forward to address the Sikh Community Khalsa day event in Toronto.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights and freedoms of the Sikh community at any cost.

Thousands of people thronged downtown Toronto for the annual Khalsa Day festivities, a significant event commemorating the founding of the Sikh community in 1699 and the Sikh New Year. The event was organized by the Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwaras Council (OSGC).

“One of Canada’s greatest strengths is its diversity. We are strong not in spite of our differences, but because of our differences; but even as we look at these differences, we have to remember, and get reminded on days such as this, and every day, that Sikh values are Canadian values…” Trudeau reaffirmed during the Khalsa Day Celebrations.

Relations between India and Canada have plunged since Ottawa publicly linked Indian intelligence to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver in June.

Nijjar advocated for a separate Sikh state carved out of India.

Canada has called for India to cooperate in the investigation but New Delhi has rejected the allegations and taken countermeasures, such as shutting down visa services for Canadians.

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in New York that his country would be willing to examine any evidence presented by Canada.

“We have actually been badgering the Canadians. We’ve given them loads of information about organized crime leadership which operates out of Canada,” Jaishankar said, referring to Sikh separatists.

Canada is home to some 770,000 Sikhs, or about two percent of the country’s population, with a vocal group calling for creating a separate state of Khalistan.

Hundreds of Sikh protesters rallied outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada last month, burning flags and trampling on pictures of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We are not safe back home in Punjab, we are not safe in Canada,” said Joe Hotha, a member of the Sikh community in Toronto.

The Sikh separatist movement is largely finished within India where security forces used deadly force to put down an insurgency in the 1980s.

arynews.tv

Pro-Khalistan Slogans Raised In Presence Of Canada PM On Khalsa Day Event

Strong pro-Khalistan slogans were raised as Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau stepped forward to address the Sikh Community Khalsa day event in
arynews.tv arynews.tv
 

According to the White House, India’s alleged role in assassination plots is a “serious matter”.​


The White House said on Monday it was taking the reported role of Indian intelligence in two assassination plots in Canada and the United States as a serious matter.

The Washington Post reported that an Indian intelligence officer was directly involved in a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen who is one of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s staunchest critics in the United States. It said the officer was also involved in the separate killing of a Sikh activist last June in Canada.

India’s foreign ministry said the Washington Post report made “unwarranted and baseless allegations about a serious matter” while New Delhi investigates the matter.

“Speculative and irresponsible comments on this are not helpful,” Foreign Office spokesman Radhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

“This is a serious matter and we take it very, very seriously,” White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters. “We will continue to raise our concerns.”

In November, US authorities said an Indian government official had orchestrated the assassination attempt on Gurpatwad Singh Pannoon, a Sikh separatist with dual citizenship of the United States and Canada.

India expressed concern over the link and dissociated itself from the plot, saying it would formally investigate the United States’ concerns and take “necessary follow-up measures” on the findings of a panel set up on November 18.

Pannun is the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, a group India designated an “illegal association” in 2019, citing its involvement in extremist activities. Then in 2020, India listed Pannun as an “individual terrorist”.

The issue is delicate for both India and the Biden administration in the United States as they seek to build closer ties in the face of shared concerns about China’s growing power.

News of the US plan came two months after Canada said it was looking into credible allegations potentially linking Indian agents to the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, in a Vancouver suburb.

India strongly rejected Ottawa’s accusations.

thepakistandaily.com

According to the White House, India's alleged role in assassination plots is a "serious matter". – The Pakistan Daily

Pakistan Latest News. The Pakistan Daily. Latest news from Pakistan. Imran Khan. Afghanistan. Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan Army.
thepakistandaily.com thepakistandaily.com
 

Police make arrests in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar​


Canadian police have arrested members of an alleged hit squad investigators believe was tasked by the government of India with killing prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C. last June, CBC News has learned.

Sources close to the investigation also told CBC News that police are actively investigating possible links to three additional murders in Canada, including the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton.

Members of the hit squad are alleged to have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, according to the sources.

The men were arrested Friday during police operations in at least two provinces. Sources said investigators identified the alleged hit squad members in Canada some months ago and have been keeping them under tight surveillance.

Police are expected to announce the arrests and share some details of their investigation later Friday.

CBC News learned of the arrests — as well as other information that may not be announced by police on Friday — through extensive discussions with senior investigative and government sources, as well as members of the Sikh community.

The investigative and government sources spoke with CBC News on the condition that they not be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. The sources in the Sikh community expressed concerns about their personal security, so CBC News is not disclosing their identities.

 
Trudeau ramping up the pressure
====
Police have made arrests in connection with the killing of a prominent Sikh separatist leader, according to Canadian media reports.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was shot dead last June by two masked gunmen in a busy car park in a Vancouver suburb.

His killing sparked a major diplomatic row between India and Canada, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accusing India's government of involvement in the murder.

Delhi strongly denied the allegation.

Police will hold a press conference later on Friday addressing the months-long investigation into the killing.

Mr Nijjar was a Sikh separatist leader who publicly campaigned for Khalistan - the creation of an independent Sikh homeland in the Punjab region of India.

In the 1970s, Sikhs launched a separatist insurgency in India which saw thousands killed before it was quelled the following decade. Since then, the movement has been mostly limited to countries with large Sikh populations.

India has in the past described Mr Nijjar as a terrorist who led a militant separatist group - accusations his supporters say are unfounded. They say he had received threats in the past because of his activism.

He was shot dead at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, a city about 30km (18 miles) east of Vancouver on 18 June last year.

Those close to him have said he was warned by Canadian intelligence services before his death that he was on a "hit list" and there had been threats on his life.

Three months after he was killed, Mr Trudeau, standing in the House of Commons, said Canada was looking at "credible allegations potentially linking" the Indian state to the killing.

The allegation had been strongly denied by Indian officials, who accused Canada of providing shelter to "Khalistani terrorists and extremists".

Source: BBC
 
India waits for details on arrests in Canada over Sikh separatist's murder

India will wait for Canadian police to share information on the three Indian men it has arrested and charged with the murder of a Sikh separatist leader last year, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Saturday.

Canadian police charged the three on Friday over the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and said they were probing whether the suspects had links to the Indian government.

Jaishankar said he had seen news of the arrests and said the suspects "apparently are Indians of some kind of gang background... we'll have to wait for the police to tell us."

"But, as I said, one of our concerns which we have been telling them is that, you know, they have allowed organized crime from India, specifically from Punjab, to operate in Canada," said Jaishankar.

Sanjay Verma, India's high commissioner to Canada, said that it hopes to get regular updates from Canadian authorities regarding the three arrested Indians.

"I understand that the arrests have been made as a result of investigations conducted by the relevant Canadian law enforcement agencies. This issue is internal to Canada and therefore we have no comments to offer in this regard," Verma added.

The trio, all Indian nationals, were arrested in the city of Edmonton in Alberta on Friday, police said.

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead in June outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited credible allegations of Indian government involvement, prompting a diplomatic crisis with New Delhi.

Nijjar was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India. The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi, which had labeled Nijjar a "terrorist".

Canadian police said they had worked with U.S. law enforcement agencies, without giving additional details, and suggested more detentions might be coming.

REUTERS
 
Canada has had ‘major problem’ with India following assassination of Sikh leader

ASPI Senior Fellow Mark Watson says Canada has had a “major problem” with India because there was a murder which was allegedly carried out with “some connection” to agents of the Indian government.

Last month, the Washington Post reported that in 2020, Australia expelled two officers from the Research and Analysis Wing of India’s foreign intelligence service.

It comes after ASIO had previously alleged that a ‘nest of spies’ from an unnamed country sought to cultivate politicians, monitor diaspora communities and obtain classified information.

“Canada has had a major problem, much bigger than ours because there was an assassination of a Sikh leader in Canada … and he was assassinated or murdered, allegedly, with some connection to agents of the Indian government,” Mr Watson told Sky News Australia.

“That is what was said by the Canadian Prime Minister in Parliament that there were ‘credible allegations’ that the death … [was] connected to ‘agents’ of the Indian government.”

SKY NEWS
 
India's Sharp Response After Canada Arrests 3 In Hardeep Nijjar Killing

Days after three Indians were arrested in Canada for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India has said there are "political interests at work" in the matter and reiterated its position that separatists and extremists have been given political space in the country.

Responding to a question on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has been informed about the arrests by Canada, but not at a diplomatic level. To a poser on whether consular access had been granted, Mr Jaiswal only said that, in some countries, access is not given until the person or people who have been arrested specifically request for it.

Diplomatic ties between India and Canada have remained tense since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in the country's Parliament in September last year that his government had "credible allegations" linking the killing of Nijjar in June 2023 with the "agents of the Government of India".

Asked whether India had been given any evidence of involvement in the killing, Mr Jaiswal reiterated the country's consistent stand.

Mincing no words, he said, "Let me first make it clear that no specific or relevant evidence or information has been shared by the Canadian authorities in regard to this matter till date. You will therefore understand our view that the matter is being pre-judged. Obviously, there are political interests at work. We have long maintained that separatists, extremists and those advocating violence have been given political space in Canada."

"Our diplomats have been threatened with impunity and obstructed in their performance of duties. We have also pointed to the Canadian authorities that figures associated with organised crime with links with India have been allowed entry and residency in Canada. Many of our extradition requests are pending. We are having discussions at the diplomatic level on all these matters," he added.

Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, residents of Edmonton, were arrested last week on suspicion of being part of the hit squad that had killed Nijjar. They have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

While Mr Trudeau had claimed after the arrests that Canada is "a rule-of-law country" and the investigation into the murder is not limited to the three Indians, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that, despite warnings from Delhi, Canada has been issuing visas to people with links to organised crime.

Our biggest problem right now is in Canada. Because in Canada the party in power and other parties have given these kinds of extremism, separatism, and advocates of violence a certain legitimacy in the name of free speech. When you tell them something, their answer is 'no, we are a democratic country, and it is free speech'," Mr Jaishankar had said.

www.ndtv.com

India's Sharp Response After Canada Arrests 3 In Hardeep Nijjar Killing

Days after three Indians were arrested for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India has said there are "political interests at work" and reiterated its position that separatists have been given political space in the country.
www.ndtv.com www.ndtv.com
 
Canada arrests fourth Indian national in killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Canadian authorities have charged a fourth Indian national in connection with the 2023 killing of a separatist Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Vancouver, as per an AFP report.

Amandeep Singh, aged 22, who was already under detention for unrelated gun charges, now faces charges of "first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder" in Nijjar's alleged "assassination", it added.

This follows the recent arrests of three other Indian nationals in connection with the same case.

Diplomatic Tensions

The incident has ignited diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau implied that Indian intelligence was involved in the alleged "assassination" plot.

Nijjar was fatally shot on June 18, 2023, by masked individuals in the parking lot of the Sikh temple he presided over in suburban Vancouver.

Nijjar was a Khalistani advocate demanding a separate Sikh state in India. He migrated to Canada in 1997 and obtained citizenship in 2015. Allegations against him included "terrorism" and conspiracy to commit murder, levelled by the Indian government. Nijjar, however, consistently denied it, the report added.

Canada is home to approximately 770,000 Sikhs, comprising around two percent of the nation's population. Within this community, there exists a vocal minority advocating for the establishment of Khalistan as an independent state.

International Ramifications

Trudeau has claimed Canada has "credible allegations" linking Indian intelligence to Nijjar's killing. This led to a sharp response from India, resulting in temporary visa restrictions for Canadians and the recall of diplomats.

In a related development, the US Justice Department has also charged an Indian citizen residing in the Czech Republic with plotting a similar assassination attempt on US soil. Court documents indicated the involvement of an Indian government official in the planning.

These developments occurred amid efforts by the United States to strengthen ties with India in response to China's expanding influence. Reports suggested that the plot on American soil had the purported approval of India's former top spy official, Samant Goel.

SOURCE: LIVEMINT
 
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