New Zealand, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance has cast doubt on India’s involvement in the killing of the Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, in an interview with an Indian media agency expressed scepticism about the evidence provided by Canada.
Peters, who is on an official visit to India, told the media agency, “As a trained lawyer, I look okay so where is the case? Well, where is the evidence? What is the finding right here, right now? Well, there isn’t one.”
New Zealand Deputy PM remark is contrary to the other partner countries of the Five Eyes Intelligence who have backed the probe into Nijjar’s death. The other countries which are the members of the Five Eyes Alliance are Canada, US, the UK and Australia.
On March 9, 2024, Canada based media group reported about purported video footage that has surfaced showing Nijjar being killed by armed men. The video shows Nijjar leaving the parking lot of the Gurudwara in his grey Dodge Ram pickup truck. As he approaches the exit, a white sedan pulls in front of his pickup truck. The two men from the car ran up and shot Nijjar and escaped in a silver Toyota Camry, the Canadian media agency reported.
The two witnesses who were playing soccer in the field nearby when the incident happened, revealed that they ran towards the place from where gunshots were heard and also tried to chase the assailants. Nijjar was killed as he came out of a Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia on the evening of June 18, 2023.
Meanwhile, nine months later, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has yet to name suspects or make arrests in relation to Nijjar’s killing. Notably Nijjar’s death has sparked a diplomatic row between India and Canada. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) designated Nijjar a terrorist in 2020.
But Canada has accused India of killing Nijjar on its soil. India retaliated and rejected the allegations calling them absurd and unmotivated. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Canada has not been able to present any evidence to back its claims over the killing. India has also warned Canada to stop protecting Khalistani terrorists on it soil who have anti-India agendas.
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