New Delhi: Doubling down on its assertion that Canada hasn’t shared any evidence to back up allegations of Indian officials being linked to the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India on Thursday said the Justin Trudeau government’s actions belied his remarks about following a “One India” policy.
The current crisis in India-Canada relations was precipitated solely by the Trudeau government’s “baseless allegations” against Indian officials, and the Canadian side is yet to act on India’s requests to extradite 26 people and arrest several others accused of terrorism and serious crimes, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing.
India-Canada ties, in freefall since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September last year that there was a link between Indian government agents and the murder of Nijjar, hit a new low this week after New Delhi dismissed as “preposterous” a move by Ottawa to question six Indian diplomats, including high commissioner Sanjay Verma, in connection with the killing.
The Indian side withdrew the six diplomats and expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats from New Delhi, including acting high commissioner Stewart Wheeler. Both sides have hinted at further retaliatory moves, with Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly saying all options were on the table.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian side withdrew the six diplomats and expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats from New Delhi, including acting high commissioner Stewart Wheeler. Both sides have hinted at further retaliatory moves, with Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly saying all options were on the table.
{{/usCountry}}“We are very clear that since September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared any shred of evidence with us,” Jaiswal said while responding to a flurry of questions on the row with Canada. He said Canada hasn’t given any evidence so far to support the “serious allegations” it has levelled.
Referring to Trudeau’s testimony at a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s politics on Wednesday, Jaiswal said there is a “gap between action and words”.
He added, “We have seen the comments of Prime Minister Trudeau that he believes in a One India policy, but so far the actions we have requested against anti-India elements, who actually go against One India, who call for dismemberment and disunity of the country, who espouse separatist ideology – no action has been taken.”
Trudeau said in his testimony that Canada’s official position is “One India”, though there are “people in Canada who advocate otherwise”. He also contended that India made a “horrific mistake” by thinking it could interfere as aggressively as it allegedly did in Canada’s sovereignty.
The external affairs ministry issued a terse two-line statement that said Trudeau’s deposition confirmed New Delhi’s stand that Canada has provided no evidence to support its allegations. “The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone,” it said.
Jaiswal reiterated this position, saying the ongoing crisis was “precipitated by the Trudeau government’s baseless allegations”. He characterised India-Canada relations, especially trade and economic ties, as robust and vibrant.
A lot of Canadian pension funds have invested in India, the large Indian diaspora of about 1.8 million acts as a bridge for people-to-people ties, and Indians make up the largest group of international students in Canada. “Canada is a major beneficiary of all these strong linkages that we have,” he noted.
Giving details about India’s efforts to get Canada to act against anti-India and pro-Khalistan elements, Jaiswal said 26 extradition requests made over the past decade are pending with Ottawa, as are several provisional arrest requests under a mutual legal assistance treaty. Among the notable fugitives sought by India for terrorism and related crimes are Gurjit Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa and Arshdeep Singh Gill.
India has shared security-related information with Canada regarding gang members, including those of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and requested their arrest or action under the law. “So far, no action has been taken by the Canadian side on our request. This is very serious,” Jaiswal said.
“We find that it really strange that the people whom we asked to be deported, on whom we asked that action be taken, we are [now] being told that the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] is blaming the Indian side that these people are committing crimes in Canada, for which you are to be blamed,” he said.
Jaiswal was referring to allegations made by senior RCMP officials this week that Indian officials had collected information that was purportedly passed on to organised crime networks, including the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and used to target members of the Indian community in Canada.
He also reiterated India’s longstanding concerns that the Canadian side was using the country’s position on freedom of speech and expression as a reason for not cracking down on anti-India and separatist activities on Canadian soil. Violence is being perpetrated by pro-Khalistan elements, and “shifting the blame to India does not work in any manner”, he said.
Asked about Canadian foreign minister Joly hinting at possible sanctions, Jaiswal said: “This is an evolving situation. There are certain actions that lie in the domain of the Canadian government, there are certain actions that lie in our domain as well.”
He said the Indian side had decided to withdraw its high commissioner in Ottawa and five other diplomats because it “had no faith that the Canadian government will look after the safety of our diplomats”. He added: “Subsequent to that, we saw that there was a communication from the Canadian side asking them to leave, but we had withdrawn our diplomats before their decision.”