It seems Canada is bent on taking the diplomatic ties with India to an irretrievable position. The Canadian government on Tuesday alleged that India’s Union Minister of Home affairs, Amit Shah, was behind the plot, to target Khalistanis on Canadian soil. Much like the incidents before, the Canadian authorities have once again come up with allegations without any real evidence.
The allegations this time were led by none other than Canada’s deputy foreign minister, David Morrison. Morrison has now confirmed that he told the publication The Washington Post about Union home minister Amit Shah alleged involvement in action against radical Khalistanis based in Canada.
David Morrison was joined by Nathalie Drouin, Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor, and other senior officials testifying before members of Parliament on the public safety and national security committee. MPs on the committee asked questions about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s allegation two weeks ago that agents of the Indian government were complicit in widespread crimes in Canada.
David Morrison said to the parliamentary panel that he told the US-based newspaper that Shah was behind the plots. “The journalist called me and asked if it (Shah) was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison told the committee, without providing further details or evidence.
While facing the panel, Nathalie Drouin added that no classified intelligence was shared with The Washington Post. “We provided non-classified information on our actions and the evidence linking the Indian government to illegal activities targeting Canadians, including life-threatening threats,” Drouin testified.
Drouin also confirmed that she and Morrison took the decision to share the information in an attempt to tilt the narrative in favor of Canada’s stance. She also mentioned that the strategy was closely monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Nathalie Drouin also testified that Canada has evidence showing the Indian government gathered information on Indian nationals and Canadian citizens through diplomatic channels and other means. This information was reportedly sent to New Delhi, where it was linked to a criminal network associated with Lawrence Bishnoi, currently imprisoned in India for various violent crimes.
Drouin explained that before the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) publicly disclosed that Indian diplomats were under investigation, there was an effort to work with India to ensure accountability. A meeting took place with India’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, in Singapore two days prior.
Drouin declared that the decision to go public was made when it became clear that India would not cooperate with Canada’s bizarre methods, which included the demand for India to waive off diplomatic immunity for its officials.
The Washington Post had earlier claimed that Canadian security agencies had collected evidence that “a senior official in India” had “authorized the intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists” in Canada. The report went on to say that a Canadian source identified Amit Shah as being the Indian official in question.
The row began after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged India’s role in the assassination of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Trudeau was unable to show any real evidence backing his allegations. Since then Indian diplomats in Canada have also been accused of being ‘persons of interest’ in Nijaar’s killing. Indian ambassador to Canada Sanjay Verma, recalled in an interview how he was physically threatened due to the allegations, and that Justin Trudeau has close ties with many anti India Khalistani elements.
India had officially responded by calling the allegations ‘absurd’ and ‘preposterous’ and recalling it’s diplomats who had been put in mortal danger by Canada’s baseless accusations. It now seems Canada is going one step further by naming the Home Minister of India, Amit Shah as the ‘official’ behind the attacks on its Khalistanis.