 |
|
The escalating diplomatic row between India and Canada took a sharp turn as India vehemently refuted allegations by a Canadian minister that Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered the targeting of Khalistani extremists in India. In a strong response, India summoned a Canadian diplomat and delivered a diplomatic note, branding the claims as "absurd and baseless." The controversy arose after Canada's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison informed the country's Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that Mr. Shah had initiated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence gathering aimed at Khalistani extremists.
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the accusations were baseless and that Mr. Morrison had confirmed his claims to The Washington Post, which first reported the allegations. This revelation, according to the MEA, indicated a deliberate strategy by high-ranking Canadian officials to leak unfounded claims to the media in an effort to discredit India. The MEA warned that such actions would have "serious consequences" for the bilateral relationship. The spokesperson further asserted that the Canadian government's alleged surveillance of Indian consular officials constituted a "flagrant violation" of diplomatic conventions, amounting to harassment and intimidation.
The MEA also expressed concern over the prevailing atmosphere of intolerance and extremism in Canada, citing the cancellation of Diwali celebrations at Parliament Hill in Ottawa by Canada's opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. This incident sparked a backlash from the Indian community in Canada. India is monitoring the well-being of students and temporary workers from India currently in Canada, expressing strong concern for their safety and security. The current tensions are a culmination of a series of events that have strained ties between the two nations. In 2022, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, without offering any evidence, claimed that "Indian agents" were involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. This allegation was repeatedly dismissed by India. This month, the situation reached a new low when India's High Commissioner was labeled a "person of interest" in the killing. India responded by withdrawing its High Commissioner and some diplomats and expelling six Canadian diplomats, including Canada's acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler.
Source: Canadian Diplomat Summoned After Allegations Against Amit Shah By Minister