Australia’s domestic spy chief has voiced support for Canada in a matterinvolving the Indian government’s alleged involvement in the killing of aCanadian citizen. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had previouslystated in parliament that there were “credible allegations” of a potentiallink between Indian government agents and the shooting of Canadian SikhHardeep Singh Nijjar, whom India identifies as a terrorist.
Mike Burgess, the director general of the Australia Security IntelligenceOrganisation (ASIO), was asked about his assessment of Canada’s claims andresponded that he saw “no reason to dispute what the Canadian governmenthas said in this matter.”
India had dismissed these allegations as biased and motivated, emphasizingthat Canada had not taken Indian concerns about the activities ofpro-Khalistani groups seriously. Tensions escalated as Canada withdrew 41diplomats from India, leading to reciprocal actions by India, includingexpelling a senior Canadian diplomat and suspending visa operations forCanadian nationals. India also called on Canada to downsize its diplomaticmissions.
The U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, explicitly linked Canada’saccusations to the Five Eyes intelligence network, a partnership involvingthe United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
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He noted that shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners had contributedto Canada’s statements. The United States had repeatedly urged India tocooperate with Canadian investigations. Australia’s involvement in the FiveEyes network underscores its alignment with the intelligence-sharingalliance.