India-Canada row: BC Premier accuses Trudeau govt of withholding information on Nijjar’s murder

David Eby, the premier of British Columbia province in Canada has said in a press conference that the information provided to him by the Justin Trudeau-led federal government regarding India’s involvement in Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder is all ‘open source information’, that is available on internet.

The video of the British Columbia premier has gone viral on social media.

British Columbia Premier David Eby expressed strong suspicions that the federal government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is “holding back information that could help the province protect its residents with connections to India from foreign interference."

Eby also disclosed that Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc talked about Ottawa's intention to provide necessary details for the province's residents' safety.

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However, Eby pointed out a dearth in information-sharing.

"But there has not been good information sharing," Eby said while addressing media queries following his address to local politicians at the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in Vancouver.

Everything in 'public realm'

While responding to media questions, the B.C. premier also expressed his frustration saying that even after a briefing with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director there was not sufficient and solid information.

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B.C. Premiere, who was visibly distraught during his address, said that everything he knows about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar is already "in the public realm," reported CBC News.

"I understand there may need to be reform around the act that governs CSIS in order for them to be able to share this information," Eby said adding, "If that's what's required, let's make it happen because the only way that we're going to make traction on this is by the federal government trusting the provincial government with information and being able to act on it in our local communities.''

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Eby said that “the priority should be protecting the criminal prosecution process so people can be held accountable, but on the broader issue of ensuring community safety, there’s a long way to go to share that information."

India has long been urging Canada to stop Khalistanis from usingCanadian soil as a breeding ground for their anti-India activities. After Canada levelled grave allegations against India, New Delhi refuted and termed them as "absurd and motivated." Both India and Canada haveexpelled each other's diplomats. After Canada's updated travel advisory to India, New Delhi also halted visa services for Canadians.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist, was born in India and went to Canada 16 years ago, and was wanted in India for years. Nijjar was killed by unidentified men outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau said that his government had credible information linking Indian government agents to the murder, prompting a befitting response from New Delhi.

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