Justin Trudeau govt denies linking PM Narendra Modi, S Jaishankar to criminal activities within Canada.
Canada Refutes Allegations Against Indian Leaders
The Justin Trudeau-led Canadian government on Friday (22 November) denied a report linking top Indian leaders to criminal activities in Canada, saying it is “speculative and inaccurate”.
Statement from Canadian National Security Advisor Nathalie G. Drouin
The government of Canada has not started, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada,” a statement from the national security and intelligence advisor to the Canadian prime minister Nathalie G Drouin said.
Media Report Claims Involvement of Indian Officials in Nijjar Killing
The report by Canada’s Globe and Mail, citing unnamed Canadian officials, alleged that Prime Minister Modi, along with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, was privy to plans to eliminate Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India’s Response to the Allegations
In a statement days after a strong rebuttal from New Delhi, National security intelligence advisor to Justin Trudeau, Nathalie G Drouin, said the Canadian government is “not aware” of any evidence of the claims made by a Canadian media house citing unnamed officials.
External Affairs Ministry Dismisses ClaimIndia Accuses Canada of Politically Motivated Actions
On October 14, because of a significant and ongoing thread to public safety, the RCMP and official took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India. The Government of Canada has not started, nor is it aware of the evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada,”the statement read.
In response to the claim made in the Globe and Mail report, External Affairs Minister spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the report a “smear campaign“.
“Such a ludicrous statement made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties,” Mr Jaiswal said.
Escalation of Diplomatic Tensions Between India and Canada
The diplomatic ties between India and Canada have deteriorated significant since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged last year that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist and the leader of the proscribed terror organisation ‘Khalistan Tiger Force.’
The Canadian Prime Minister claimed he had ” credible allegations” of India’s hand in the Nijjar killing.India has repeatedly trashed the allegations, accusing Mr Trudeau of pandering to khalistani sympathisers for domestic political gains at a time his personality with Canadian voters is at an all time low. India has also termed the allegations “absurd “and” politically motivated” and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elections in their country.
India also refused claims made last month by the Company government, which implicated India High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomatic in the case.
The Central highlighted that Canada has failed to share any substantive proof to substantiate its allegations.
Earlier, India recalled 6 diplomats from Canada after they were declared “persons of interest” by the Canadian government in the investigation into the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was killed outside the Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 last year.
The lack of concrete proof, paired with increasing political rhetoric has further strained relations between the two nations. Analysts believe that the situation underscores deeper challenges in India-Canada relations, particularly regarding issues like terrorism, diaspora politics, and trade. Moving forward, both nations must adopt a collaborative approach to restore trust and work towards common goals.