The Canadian government issued a statement clarifying that there is no evidence linking Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, to any criminal activities in Canada. The announcement was aimed at addressing speculation and rumors circulating on the matter.
This clarification was provided by Nathalie G. Drouin, who serves as the Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister.
"On October 14, due to a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and officials made the extraordinary decision to publicly allege serious criminal activity in Canada by agents linked to the Government of India. However, the Government of Canada has not indicated, nor does it have evidence, implicating Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval in such activities within Canada. Any contrary suggestions are speculative and inaccurate," the statement said.
This clarification follows increased diplomatic tensions between Canada and India.
In early October, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of engaging in covert operations on Canadian soil, alleging that these actions jeopardized public safety. Trudeau asserted that the RCMP had credible evidence pointing to Indian agents' involvement in activities like surveillance and coercion, describing these as violations of Canadian sovereignty. He called for an immediate end to such actions.
India, however, has firmly rejected these claims, branding them as "absurd and baseless," and suggested they were part of a strategy by Canada to tarnish India's image.
Recently, diplomatic ties were further strained following a session of Canada’s Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on October 29, 2024. During the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison reportedly made statements implicating India’s Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, in targeting pro-Khalistan activists in Canada.
In response, India lodged a strong diplomatic protest. During a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We summoned the representative of the Canadian High Commission yesterday. A diplomatic note was delivered, referencing the proceedings of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security held in Ottawa on October 29, 2024. In the note, the Government of India expressed its strong objection to the baseless and unreasonable references made to the Union Home Minister of India by Deputy Minister David Morrison before the Committee."
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