Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar was in regular touch with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and had met senior officials six days before he was killed in June this year, his son has claimed, lending credence to India’s stand of ISI’s involvement in the now-burgeoning diplomatic row.
Sources told CNN-News18 that in his statement, 21-year-old Balraj Singh claimed that his father started meeting the CSIS officials after February and was also scheduled to meet them two days after he was killed.
The statement has led Indian Intelligence agencies to raise serious questions about the “advice” to the Khalistani sympathiser to not go to his gurdwara at his usual times and avoid being seen in public, as claimed by his son. Sources said the agencies questioned why close proximity protection was not given to Nijjar if credible Intelligence was available against Indian agents.
The sources said the decision to not provide him security showed that in some way, the Canadians also supported ISI and gave access to Nijjar’s killers, further going slow with investigations.
They added that close proximity was impossible without someone known to Nijjar as the Khalistani sympathiser was extremely cautious and guarded and the killing was plotted by ISI to put India on the back foot.
As per sources, Rahat Rao and Tariq Kiyani — two ISI plants in Canada — were given the task of killing Nijjar possibly due to business reasons or to get more cuts from new people. The task was given to someone so that the drug business could be directly controlled by Rao and Kiyani as Nijjar was becoming powerful with time and gaining popularity in the local Canadian community.
Sources said the trio of Rao, Kiyani and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun possibly laid the trap to control the drug and immigration business which is the main source of income for them.
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