For over two years, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been relentlessly blaming India for Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder and New Delhi has been hitting back saying that his accusations were not backed by evidence. Now, a Canadian commission has found that there was “no definitive link” with a “foreign state” in the killing of Nijjar.
The report is in stark contrast to what Trudeau had said in 2023 that Canada had “credible evidence” that Indian agents had something to do with Nijjar’s death in British Columbia in the same year.
The outgoing prime minister, whose unpopularity within his own government forced him to resign, sabotaged the India-Canada relationship by pinning the blame for Nijjar’s death on India. Now it is up to the next prime minister to attempt damage control.
What did the report say?
The report, ‘Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions,’ was released on Tuesday (January 28).
In the report commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue said “Disinformation is used as a retaliatory tactic to punish decisions that run contrary to a state’s interests.” The report has suggested India spread disinformation on the killing of Nijjar.
“This may have been the case with a disinformation campaign that followed the Prime Minister’s announcement regarding suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar (though again no definitive link to a foreign state could be proven),” the report said.
Report accuses India of running ‘disinformation campaign’
While proving Trudeau’s allegations against India baseless, the commission, ironically, has also found New Delhi “running a disinformation campaign.”
“Disinformation is also used as a retaliatory tactic, to punish decisions that run contrary to a state’s interests. This may have been the case with a disinformation campaign that followed the Prime Minister’s announcement regarding suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar (though again no definitive link to a foreign state could be proven),” it said.
How Trudeau hurt India ties for narrow political gains
In October 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of making a “massive mistake” by allegedly violating Canadian sovereignty through interference in Canada’s internal affairs. This statement was made amid escalating diplomatic tensions between the two nations, following Canada’s expulsion of six Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, over allegations of their involvement in criminal activities within Canada.