NEW DELHI: Moving ahead in its probe against the pro-Khalistan group, a two-member team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrived in Canada to liaise with the authorities and to entail modes to execute Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) requests and faster sharing of information with India’s anti-terror probe agency.
A senior NIA official related to the probe told The New Indian, “A two-member NIA team is in Canada to liaise with the authorities in connection with the pro-Khalistan cases registered with the agency. The deliberations would entail modes to execute MLAT requests and faster sharing of information with the NIA.”
The development comes after the anti-terror probe agency has registered several cases against the pro-Khalistan groups like Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) for fueling violence in India, particularly in Punjab, as part of its separatist agenda that also includes spearheading the Punjab Referendum.
According to NIA officials, the two-member agency team headed by an IG rank official will meet the Canadian authorities in Ottawa to demand for banning the SFJ and other such NGOs.
NIA is investigating the funding of NGOs by secessionist organisations like SFJ, Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Zindabad Force, and Khalistan Tiger Force.
The NIA is probing their foreign funding especially from countries like Canada, UK, USA, Australia, France and Germany.
Earlier this year, to instigate protesting farmers on the Delhi borders, SFJ had announced a reward of $ 2.5 lakh for those who will hoist a Khalistani flag on Red Fort on Republic Day.
On Friday, India’s High Commission in Ottawa took to Twitter and wrote, “India and Canada collaborate on investigating terrorism. A high-level team from NIA of India visited Canada on 4-5 November 2021 at the invitation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
🇮🇳 and 🇨🇦 collaborate on investigating terrorism. A high-level team from National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India visited Canada on 4-5 November 2021 at the invitation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police @rcmpgrcpolice @NIA_India @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/PD5TrIGjpn
— India in Canada (@HCI_Ottawa) November 5, 2021
It said that NIA also “held additional meetings with the International Crime and Counter-terrorism Bureau of Global Affairs Canada and with senior officials from the International Affairs Division of Public Safety Canada, with a view to deepening and expanding India-Canada collaboration on counter-terrorism and interdiction of global terrorist financing”.
It said, the visit was “for better coordinating investigation against entities and individuals suspected of terrorism and to discuss other criminal matters”.
The NIA team was led by an IG of Police and it “held detailed discussions with senior RCMP officials to collate evidence on several ongoing investigations into cases of terrorism and other serious crimes in order to bring about successful prosecution of the accused in both India and Canada.”
The India-Canada strategic partnership also leads to robust cooperation in investigating crime and terrorism. RCMP and NIA are working together to keep 🇮🇳 and 🇨🇦 safer. https://t.co/4jL8snlebM
— Ajay Bisaria (@Ajaybis) November 5, 2021
India’s high commissioner to Ottawa, Ajay Bisaria welcomed the visit and tweeted that the “India-Canada strategic partnership also leads to robust cooperation in investigating crime and terrorism.”