Ottawa/IBNS: Amid the ongoing standoff between India and Canada over the Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing with Justin Trudeau blaming it on Indian agents' involvement, one of the top functionaries of Ottawa's intelligence service flagged Pakistan's role in "extremism" in the North American country, media reports said.

Venessa Llyod, the interim director of Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), has spoken about Pakistan's role in instigating Khalistani activism in the country.

Appearing before the Foreign Interference Commission, Lloyd had said as quoted by The Times of India, "I think, commissioner, what I would add there is the context that engagement of Pakistan is consistently in balance with trying to reduce the influence of India.

"And so, some of the elements that I mentioned previously about the dynamics between suppressing voices can also have the opposite effect in terms of amplifying other voices, and in this particular case, influence of Pakistan is directly related to support of Khalistani extremism."

This report comes days after Trudeau accused Indian officials of having a role in the killing of Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar without producing any proof.

India responded sharply after Canada called the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats "persons of interest" in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In a long statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country. The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics.

"Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains."

In a statement which leaves India vindicated, Trudeau on Wednesday said he had no "hard evidentiary proof" to back his claims that India government officials were involved in Nijjar's killing.

India and Canada relations hit a new low with diplomatic expulsions. Photo courtesy: PIB

India and Canada relations hit a new low with diplomatic expulsions. Photo courtesy: PIB

The Canadian Prime Minister said, "I was briefed on the fact that there was intelligence from Canada, and possibly from Five Eyes allies that made it fairly clear, incredibly clear, that India was involved in this... Agents of the government of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil."

Responding to Trudeau's admission, India's Ministry of External Affairs said the Canadian Prime Minister's statement clears New Delhi was right in the whole row.

India has also solely blamed Trudeau for causing the damage to the ties between the two countries.

The MEA issued a statement which reads, "What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along - Canada has presented us with no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats.

"The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone."