The Indian government issued a strongly-worded statement to Canada who called the Indian High Commissioner as a 'person of interest' in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Ministry of External Affairs called the claims ‘preposterous imputations’ and said it was the political agenda of the government, led by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In a statement today, the MEA said that the Canadian government did not share any evidence of India’s involvement in the Nijjar case despite repeated requests, and accused Trudeau of vote bank politics.
"We received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are 'persons of interest' in a matter related to an investigation in that country. The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau government that is centred around vote bank politics," the statement added.
Ties between India and Canada were strained since Trudeau alleged last year that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Nijjar on Canadian soil. The relations between the countries soured gradually with subsequent allegations and counter-allegations. It has now taken a fresh turn after Canada named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a 'person of interest' in the Nijjar killing case.
The ministry said that the lack of evidence presented by Canada despite Trudeau’s allegations “leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains”.
The MEA accused Trudeau of including individuals in his cabinet who have been “openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda” regarding India. “That his government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-a-vis India, only aggravated matters," said the MEA, referring to New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, who pulled his support to the Trudeau government.
The government said that Trudeau administration deliberately flagged India as an issue to divert attention from the criticism Canada has faced for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics.
"This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction. It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains," it added.
The MEA said that the Canadian government supported violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats in Canada in the name of freedom of speech. "Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship. Multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organised crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded," it added.
"High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s senior most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years. He has been Ambassador in Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China. The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt," the MEA said.
The government took note of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India, which served as the ‘political agenda’ of the Trudeau government.