Roving Periscope: Now, Canada says PM Modi, others “not involved” in Nizzar killing
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: After flexing muscles for over a year at the behest of the outgoing US Democrats,’ and political reverses at home, Canada has denied a media report that linked top Indian leaders to criminal activities, including the murder of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in June 2023.
Nathalie G. Drouin, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is “not aware” of any evidence of the claims, the media reported on Friday.
The Trudeau-led minority government denied a report linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and NSA Ajit Doval to criminal activities in Canada, saying it is “speculative and inaccurate.”
In a statement issued after a strong rebuttal from New Delhi, Drouin said the Canadian government is “not aware” of any evidence of the claims made by a Canadian media house citing unnamed officials.
Interestingly, a Canadian minister had recently admitted having leaked information to The Washington Post on this issue. It seems Canada is now behaving like a headless chicken.
No wonder, a downcast Trudeau was almost ignored by world leaders who gathered this week in Brazil for the BRICS Summit.
“On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India. The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of the evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada,” the statement read.
The report by Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper on Thursday quoted unnamed Canadian officials claiming that Indian leaders were “aware” of the plot to kill Nijjar in Vancouver last year.
India immediately responded sharply to what it called “ludicrous claims,” with External Affairs Ministry (EAM) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal calling the report a “smear campaign.”
“Such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties,” he said.
Canada has also rolled back its decision to implement extra screening of travelers flying to India. Earlier this week, Canada’s Transport Minister Anita Anand said that the measures were borne “out of an abundance of caution.”
The Indo-Canadian bilateral relations nosedived since September 2023 when Trudeau claimed that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Nijjar, who headed the banned terror outfit ‘Khalistan Tiger Force’. He also claimed that he had “credible allegations” of India’s hand in the Nijjar killing.
India has repeatedly trashed the allegations, accusing Trudeau of pandering to Khalistani sympathizers for domestic political gains at a time his popularity with Canadian voters is at an all-time low. India has also termed the allegations “absurd” and “politically motivated.”
In October, Canada linked Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and some other diplomats to the Nijjar killing. The Centre rejected the claims and pointed out that despite repeated requests for evidence, Canada had failed to share any substantive proof to substantiate its allegations.
