Nijjar killing: New Zealand clarifies position after Deputy PM's remarks on 'evidence' linking India to murder

New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters underscored the need to give the current investigation some time before drawing conclusions about the claims made by the Canadian government against India regarding the death of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

New Zealand, which is a member of the Five-Eyes intelligence alliance, maintains its stance that if the accusations made by Canada are proven correct,it would raise serious concerns.

John Tulloch, spokesperson for the Deputy PM, underlining its country's stance stated that it was extremely important for the ongoing probe to conclude before making any further judgements.

"New Zealand's position on the allegations remains unchanged; if they are proven correct, then that would be of serious concern. The minister's point is that this is an ongoing criminal investigation. It needs to run its course before clear conclusions can be drawn," Tulloch told news agency ANI.

Five-Eyes comprises the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Nijjar was shot dead while he was coming out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.

His death sparked a diplomatic row between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged New Delhi's involvement in the Khalistani terrorist's killing.

Indiahas rebuffed the accusations calling them "absurd and motivated".

New Zealand's previous govt looked into Nijjar case: Peters

Peters, who concluded his successful visit to India on March 13, had underlined the absence of conclusive evidence substantiating the alleged Indian involvement in Nijjar's killing.

“As a trained lawyer, I look okay, so where’s the case? Where’s the evidence? Where’s the finding right here, right now? Well, there isn’t one,”Peters was quoted as saying by The Indian Express newspaper.

On being asked if New Zealand cleared its stance to India on the matter, he had said,“Well, I wasn’t here, it was handled by the previous government. But look, sometimes when you’re hearing Five-Eyes information, you’re hearing it and saying nothing. It is coming past you," he said.

"You don’t know the value or the quality of it, but you’re pleased to have it. You don’t know whether there is going to be substantial material value or nothing. But the very, very critical information that matters… This was mainly handled by the previous government."

Peters meets Indian counterpart Jaishankar

Peters, who met with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar in New Delhi affirmed that his visit to India played a significant role in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.

"New Zealand and India are two countries that can, should and will be doing more together," Peters said, adding, "My visit has demonstrated a joint commitment to investing more in building a broad-based, mutually beneficial relationship."

"It is clear that New Zealand and India share common strategic perspectives about the security challenges our Indo-Pacific region faces, as well as a commitment to do more together to meet them," he further said.

"Minister Jaishankar and I agreed to work together to unlock more opportunities and achieve a step up in the relationship between New Zealand and India. Further high-level political visits in both directions during 2024 will be a crucial part of this process," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)