Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: India on Saturday strongly refuted Canada’s fresh claims against Union Home Minister Amit Shah as “absurd and baseless allegations” saying these could potentially have serious and long-term consequences for bilateral ties between the two countries.
Responding to the references made against Shah by a Canadian minister in the minority government led by highly unpopular Prime Minister Justine Trudeau, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), made these comments in a press conference on Saturday.
The diplomatic row between India and Canada intensified further when the latter accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of ‘authorizing’ killings in a foreign nation. The MEA summoned a representative from the Canadian High Commission on Friday (November 1) to strongly protest the “absurd and baseless” allegations made against Shah by Deputy Minister David Morrison during a parliamentary committee session.
“The disclosure that senior Canadian officials are intentionally leaking unfounded allegations to the international media as part of a strategy to undermine India confirms New Delhi’s long-held concerns about the current Canadian administration’s political agenda and conduct.”
The MEA also disclosed that several Indian consular officials have been subjected to audio and video surveillance in Canada. “Our consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian government that they have been and continue to be under surveillance. Their communications have also been intercepted. We have formally protested this as it is a clear violation of diplomatic and consular conventions,” Jaiswal added.
He also condemned the Canadian government’s actions, stating that using technicalities does not excuse the harassment and intimidation of Indian diplomatic staff, who are already operating in a hostile environment. He emphasized that these actions exacerbate tensions and contradict established diplomatic norms.
The outgoing Biden administration in the United States has described Canada’s allegations against Shah as “concerning.” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller noted that the US would consult Canada. “The allegations made by the Canadian government are concerning, and we will continue to consult with the Canadian government about those allegations,” he said.
Recently, Canadian officials, including National Security and Intelligence Adviser Nathalie Drouin and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison, confirmed having leaked information to The Washington Post, whose report claimed that Shah was involved in a campaign against Khalistani separatists in Canada. Morrison acknowledged confirming Shah’s identity to the journalists from the US paper.
The Canada-India row started in September 2023 when PM Trudeau claimed that Canada had “credible evidence” that agents of the Indian government were involved in the murder of Canadian Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023.
Dismissing the allegations as absurd, Indian government officials have consistently denied that Canada provided evidence.