'Not Part of Five Eyes…': What EAM Jaishankar Said on Sharing of Intelligence Over Nijjar’s Killing

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar yesterday in New York spoke on the India-Canada tensions over Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing.

Jaishankar said that he is not a part of the intelligence group when he was asked for a comment on the reported sharing of intelligence between Five Eyes countries on Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing.

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“I’m not part of the Five Eyes. I’m certainly not part of the FBI. You are asking the wrong person,” Jaishankar said.

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Jaishankar at Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York was asked about the reports citing the role of the Five Eyes group regarding the intelligence behind the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and reports of the FBI “warning” US Sikh leaders about “credible threats” to them.

A diplomatic row over sharing of intelligence inputs on Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing has been hitting the headlines amid the strained ties between India and Canada.  A few days back, US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen had said that it was “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners” that led the Trudeau administration to make the claim of a potential link between “agents” of the Indian government and the killing of separatist Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

What is ‘Five Eyes’

The Five Eyes Intelligence Oversight and Review Council (the Council), also known as FVEY, is an intelligence alliance comprising five countries – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

According to the Canadian government’s website, “These partner countries share a broad range of intelligence with one another in one of the world’s most unified multilateral arrangements.”

“The Five Eyes agreement stands out from other arrangements because the parties are diverse societies, governed by rule of law and robust human rights and are bonded by a common language. These characteristics aid the partners in sharing information with one another to protect their shared national interests,” the Canadian government’s website said.

What Is Happening Between India and Canada

India and Canada are undergoing a phase of strained ties over Khalistan extremism after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 18 claimed there are “credible allegations of a potential link” between agents of the Indian government and the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a wanted Khalistani terrorist, was killed in June this year in British Columbia province of Canada, raising tensions between Sikh separatists and the Indian government.

Trudeau’s remark was followed by expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat by Canada and then a tit-for-tat move by India of removing a senior Canadian diplomat.

Row Over Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s Killing

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in the Punjabi-dominated Surrey city of British Columbia province of Canada by two unidentified bike-borne assailants in June this year.

Nijjar, President of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara and member of a separatist organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), was declared a ‘wanted terrorist’ by the government of India, due to his involvement in acts of violence.

The Indian government had also directed Canadian authorities to act against the terrorist and his name had featured on a list of 40 designated terrorists released by the Indian government. His outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is also banned in India.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was from Bharsinghpur village in Punjab’s Jalandhar and there were several cases registered against him in terror activities. He moved to Canada in 1997 and worked as a plumber.

During the early years, he was involved in Babbar Khalsa International and later made his own organisation Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), a Canada-based pro-Khalistan outfit.