Canada admits to leaking details of Nijjar case to The Washington Post

Senior Canadian officials have acknowledged leaking sensitive information regarding allegations of Indian foreign interference to The Washington Post a disclosure that was not made public in Canada reported news agency ANIThis revelation comes amid escalating tensions between Canada and India particularly following Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus accusations that the Indian government was involved in the assassination of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh NijjarNathalie Drouin Trudeaus national security and intelligence adviser confirmed during a Commons public safety committee meeting that she leaked details about the Indian governmentrsquos alleged involvement in murder extortion and coercion with The Washington PostNotably this information was not communicated to the Canadian publicDrouin stated that she did not need Trudeaus authorisation for the leak and emphasised that no classified intelligence was provided to the publication prior to Ottawa expelling six Indian diplomats on Thanksgiving Day on October 13On October 14 RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said that India was involved in the killing of three people but he only identified the slaying of NijjarHe noted that eight people have been charged with murder and 22 with extortion Four Indian nationals have been charged in the killing of Nijjar outside a Sikh templeDrouin described the leak of sensitive information as part of a communications strategy that she came up with Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison to ensure that a major US outlet presented Canadas perspective amid ongoing disputes over foreign interference from IndiaShe affirmed that the communications strategy was seen by the Prime Ministers OfficeWe provided nonclassified information on the actions we had taken to cooperate with India and explain how the evidence showed links to the government of India conducting illegal activities against Canadians including threats to their lives Drouin explainedShe also denied releasing classified information and mentioned that she provided similar briefings to federal opposition leaders as she did with The Washington PostDrouinrsquos role in the alleged leak to The Washington Post came to light after Canadian daily The Globe and Mail published a reportHowever Drouinrsquos admission about the leak saw criticism from the opposition party in Canada Conservative party MP Raquel Dancho said Why the Prime Minister his Foreign Affairs and Public Safety ministers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police RCMP didnt share this information with the public when the six Indian diplomats were expelledIn fact Canadians wouldnt know unless they were able to read The Washington Post I just find it quite unfair to the Canadian public that details were released in advance to The Washington Post but not provided to Canada Dancho addedIn response to Danchos inquiries RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme stated that he refrained from disclosing details reported by The Washington Post because it could impact ongoing criminal investigationsIt is information as part of an investigation that normally we like to keep within but sometimes we do release some information Commissioner Duheme said I didnt think at that point that it was relevant that specific information and again I wasnt part of the conversation with The Washington Post reported ANIThe RCMP had approached the government in late August for a concerted effort to persuade India to cease its alleged foreign interference activitiesDrouin revealed that the RCMP sought to travel to New Delhi on October 8 to present evidence but India used an administrative technicality to block this meeting They subsequently travelled to Washington on October 10 but while an India officer confirmed the meeting they never showed upEarlier this month India recalled six diplomats from Canada after they were called persons of interest by Canadian government in the investigation into Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjars killingNijjar who was shot outside a Gurdwara in Surrey last June held Canadian citizenship and was designated a terrorist by Indias National Investigation Agency in 2020Relations between India and Canada have soured since Trudeau alleged in Parliament last year that there were credible allegations linking India to Nijjars assassinationIndia has denied these claims labelling them as absurd and motivated while accusing Canada of harbouring extremist and antiIndia elements in their countryMeanwhile the National Investigation Agency is investigating six cases involving Gurpatwant Singh Pannu an individual designated as a terrorist by India who holds both American and Canadian citizenshipWith inputs from ANI