PEOPLE were left scratching their heads when an Indian newspaper, the Indian Express, reported that New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters seemed to have pooh-poohed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim that there was a potential Indian link in the June 18. 2023 assassination of Khalistan advocate Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara where he was president.

Peters, who was on an official visit to India this week, told the newspaper that the information his country, which is part of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence sharing countries, received lacked conclusive evidence or findings corroborating the alleged Indian involvement.

“As a trained lawyer, I look okay, so where’s the case? Where’s the evidence? Where’s the finding right here, right now? Well, there isn’t one,” he told the newspaper.

Analysts felt that Peters, who is also his country’s foreign minister, was quite obviously currying favour with the Indian government that has been under tremendous pressure from the United States as well as the other members of the Five Eyes group, including the UK, Australia and, of course, Canada, to cooperate with Canada in the Nijjar murder investigation.

New Zealand has been looking for lucrative trade deals with India. The current government, which has been in power since last November, is a coalition of the National Party, ACT and New Zealand First.

However, later, Peters seemed to have changed his tune. Perhaps he was advised by his officials that he had made a blunder.

Another Indian newspaper, The Hindu, reported that at the end of his visit, Peters told the media that evidence in the Nijjar killing could only be known once Canadian authorities complete their investigation and take the trial to court.

The Hindu reported that Peters, in response to a question by their reporter asked: “Is the investigation complete?”

Peters told the India media at a reception: “Indians are famous for understanding the law. When you go to court, that’s when you find out all the evidence. If there is something suspicious, you wait for all the facts to come out.”

THE Globe and Mail newspaper reported on March 6 that the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) was expressing concern that no one had been arrested in the Nijjar assassination case and urged the RCMP to focus all its resources into the investigation.

The newspaper had reported on December 27 that its government sources had told them that the two suspects who police believe shot and killed Nijjar had been under police surveillance and were expected to be arrested in a matter of weeks.

But when no arrests were made, it apparently led to much frustration.

Last week, WSO spokesperson Balpreet Singh told The Globe and Mail: “While we remain critical of the security measures taken to protect Hardeep Singh Nijjar, we understand the importance of thorough investigations for successful prosecutions.”

The newspaper said: “A senior federal source said the Trudeau government is frustrated that no arrests have been made.”