New Delhi: The Canadian government has accused India’s Home Minister Amit Shah of being behind the authorisation of surveillance and violence against Sikh separatists in Canada.
It has also asked India to restrain jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi from carrying out further activities in Canada.
Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison Tuesday confirmed that he was the source for The Washington Post which first reported on the allegations against Amit Shah earlier this month.
On the allegations against Amit Shah, a government source said: “Just because Canada has a PM who is willing to stoop to any level to appease his vote bank, does not mean that India’s home minister will give credence to the statement that should be treated with the contempt it deserves.”
India-Canada relations have hit the nadir over Canada’s accusations that senior Indian government officials are “orchestrating violent activities” on its soil, such as the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist and India-designated terrorist. Both countries have pulled out their diplomats.
At a Canadian standing committee hearing Tuesday, Morrison said, “The (Post) journalists called me and asked me if it was that person (Amit Shah). I confirmed it was that person.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which has been investigating Indian activities in Canada, has so far not accused Amit Shah publicly. RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme did not name him in an earlier press briefing.
Only The Post previously named Shah in its report. Morrison confirmed he was the leak before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Tuesday after National Security and Intelligence Adviser (NSIA) Nathalie G. Drouin denied sharing information on Shah with the American publication.
The report in The Washington Post claimed Canadian officials told India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval that Amit Shah authorised the intelligence-gathering activities and attacks on Sikh separatists in Canada. The report also revealed that the RCMP is not only probing the links between Indian officials and the killing of Nijjar but also the killing of another Sikh separatist, Sukhdool Singh, after him.
In the past, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has classified leaks on any investigation into Chinese interference in Canadian affairs as “criminal”.
Canada’s NSIA & senior officials behind leaks
Canadian NSIA Drouin denied that the Canadian government conducted a “politically motivated” investigation into the killing of Nijjar and used domestic media to “further” a narrative, seconds after admitting that senior officials were involved in giving information to the Post.
“We also decided our media engagement strategy to seek a broader audience and maximise impact. Deputy Minister [David] Morrison and I spoke to The Washington Post on background late Sunday afternoon on October 13,” said Drouin.
The NSIA added: “We provided non-classified information on the action we had taken to cooperate with India and explain how the evidence showed links to the government of India conducting illegal activities against Canadians—including threats against their lives.”
According to Drouin, Ottawa offered India three options before going public with the latest round of allegations. These included waiving diplomatic immunity, collaborating with the Canadian investigation, and asking Lawrence Bishnoi to “cease and desist” from further activities in Canada, as well as the unilateral option, which included expelling Indian diplomats and going public with the allegations. Doval was offered these options at a 12 October meeting in Singapore.
At the time, the Indian NSA and the Canadian government agreed to pause the discussions and keep all information confidential. However, Drouin alleged the Indian government went public on Sunday, 13 October, forcing Ottawa to reciprocate with the leaks to The Washington Post.
The diplomatic stand-off between India and Canada escalated in recent weeks after the Canadian government sought a diplomatic waiver from India for six diplomats, including former high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, deemed “persons of interest” in the killing of Nijjar.
Nijjar was killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on 18 June 2023. Four Indian youths have been arrested and charged with the killing. No information linking the four youths with Indian government officials has been made public.
The Indian government withdrew Verma and the five other diplomats from Canada and expelled six Canadian diplomats, including acting high commissioner Stewart Wheeler and deputy high commissioner Patrick Hebert.
As the situation escalated, Trudeau, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, and Public Security Minister Dominic LeBlanc held a combined press conference. At the time, Joly said that all diplomatic actions, including further sanctions, were on the table.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Next they will accuse Shekhar Gupta for allegedly involved in killing of khalistani terrorists
A Deputy Minister in Canada is the top bureaucrat, a professional civil servant of a government department, and not a political appointee.
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