Toronto, Feb. 15 -- Even as an Indian national pled guilty in New York to an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Sikhs for Justice or SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun, an NIA designated terrorist, in 2023, the trial in Canada related to the killing for the secessionist group's country coordinator Hardeep Singh Nijjar will begin later this year. A spokesperson for the British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed that the hearings involving four Indian nationals remains in the pre-trial phase and "will be for some time." "Trial dates have not yet been set. All four accused remain in custody under detention orders," Damienne Darby, Communications Counsel for the BC Prosecution Service, noted in response to queries from the Hindustan Times. As Nikhil Gupta pled guilty to three charges linked to the abortive attempt on Pannun, the statement from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York linked the case to that of Nijjar. Nijjar was killed on June 18, 2023, in Surrey, British Columbia. At the time he was the Canadian coordinator for SFJ's so-called Khalistan Referendum. "On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, GUPTA told the UC that Nijjar "was also the target" and "we have so many targets." GUPTA also added that, in light of Nijjar's murder, there was "now no need to wait" on killing the Victim," the statement noted. It was referring to the undercover agent Gupta sought to hire for the hit on Pannun. The four accused in the Nijjar case, Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Amandeep Singh, are under mandatory detention orders and are in holding facilities and they will remain there till the trial commences. That trial is not expected to commence before August, due to the complex pre-trial situation. Pre-trial applications are expected to continue till August this year, before dates for the actual trial are set, a prosecution spokesperson said last year. A publication ban remains in place with regard to submissions or any materials presented during all case management, pre-trial conferences and applications. In interviews to Canadian media, India's High Commissioner to Ottawa Dinesh Patnaik has dismissed the allegations as "preposterous". "Where is the evidence?" he asked, when questioned on the matter by the outlet CBC News last month. "These allegations have not been backed by evidence," he added....