Canadian intelligence accuses India over Sikh’s killing as Carney meets Modi

Canada’s spy agency has warned that the assassination in British Columbia of a prominent Sikh activist signaled a “significant escalation in India’s repression efforts” and reflects a broader, transnational campaign by the government in New Delhi to threaten dissidents.

The report was made public a day after Mark Carney shook hands with Narendra Modi at the G7 and pledged to restore diplomatic relations in a very public attempt to turn the page on the bitter diplomatic row unleashed by the murder of the Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The meeting prompted immediate backlash from members of the Sikh community, who warned that the resumption of diplomatic ties “must not come at the expense of justice and transparency”.

In its annual report to parliament, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said on Wednesday that India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan were the perpetrators of foreign interference efforts.

“Indian officials, including their Canada-based proxy agents, engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians. When these activities are deceptive, clandestine or threatening, they are deemed to be foreign interference,” the report said. “These activities attempt to steer Canada’s positions into alignment with India’s interests on key issues, particularly with respect to how the Indian government perceives Canada-based supporters of an independent homeland that they call Khalistan.”

Related: Lawrence Bishnoi: the feared Indian mob boss implicated in Canada killings

The report singled out the killing of Nijjar in the British Columbia city of Surrey two years ago, noting investigators had established a “link between agents of the Government of India and criminal networks to sow violent activity in South Asian communities in Canada”.

Since becoming prime minister last year, Carney has sought to restore relations with India, which cratered after his predecessor accused the Modi government of orchestrating the high-profile assassination. Four Indian nationals living in Canada have been charged with Nijjar’s murder.

India temporarily stopped issuing visas in Canada and, soon after, Canada expelled six senior diplomats, including the high commissioner, Sanjay Verma. India retaliated by ordering the expulsion of six high-ranking Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner.

Carney invited Modi to the G7 summit over the objections of Sikh organizations and human-rights activists as well as lawmakers from within his own party, framing the decision as pragmatic step to restore engagement with one of the world’s largest economies.

At the time, Carney said there was a “legal process that is literally under way and quite advanced in Canada”.

In a joint statement at the conclusion of the G7 summit in Alberta, leaders of Canada, the US, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Japan said they were “deeply concerned by growing reports of transnational repression” amid efforts to “intimidate, harass, harm or coerce individuals or communities outside their borders”.

The statement did not name India.

Following the meeting, Carney’s office said the two leaders had agreed to return high commissioners to each other’s capital “with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries”.

Modi said Canada and India were “dedicated to democratic values” and that the relationship between the two countries was “very important in many ways”.

But Carney declined to tell reporters whether he raised the killing of Nijjar during the encounter.

Sikhs for Justice, an advocacy organization calling for the establishment of a Sikh homeland in India, issued a statement on Wednesday calling on Carney to provide specifics of his meeting.

“Did Prime Minister Carney question Narendra Modi about the role of Indian agents in the assassination of Shaheed Hardeep Singh Nijjar – yes or no?” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief legal counsel for SJF.

Pannun was listed as a key target for India’s campaign of violence and an attempt on his life was foiled by US federal agents.

“Accountability for Nijjar’s killing cannot be sidestepped in the name of diplomacy or trade. Diplomatic normalization with the Modi regime must not come at the expense of justice and transparency,” he said.

British Columbia’s premier, David Eby, announced on Tuesday that he had asked Carney’s government to designate an Indian criminal gang implicated in the Nijjar killing as a terrorist organization in order to help police tackle extortion cases targeting south Asian businesses in the region.

“There are allegations that gangs in India are operating here in our province, and in other provinces, to intimidate and extort business owners,” Eby told reporters.

The Bishnoi gang – led by Lawrence Bishnoi from an Indian jail cell – was named by the RCMP as playing a possible role in violent crimes on Canadian soil that have led to diplomatic tensions between Canada and India.

“This is a serious step,” Eby said. “We don’t make this recommendation lightly, but this activity strikes at public confidence in the justice system, in our democracy.”