Canada has presented “no evidence whatsoever” in support of the serious allegations it has levelled against India and Indian diplomats, says MEA
In a firm response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's testimony before a Commission of Inquiry amid the ongoing diplomatic row, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said what it has heard only “confirms” its consistent stand that Canada has presented “no evidence whatsoever” in support of the serious allegations it has levelled against India and Indian diplomats.

Responding to queries on the matter early on Thursday (October 17, 2024) morning, the MEA put the blame for the current state of bilateral ties, due to what it described as “cavalier behaviour”, squarely on the shoulders of Prime Minister Trudeau.

In his testimony to the commission inquiring into foreign interference in Canada's governance, Prime Minister Trudeau said he had no hard evidentiary proof, and only intelligence, when he accused India of involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.

“What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along - Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats,” the MEA stated.

“The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone,” the MEA maintained. 

A diplomatic row was triggered between India and Canada after Prime Minister Trudeau made allegations in September 2023 about India’s potential involvement in the death of Nijjar, who had been designated a terrorist by India. India has firmly rubbished Canada's allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated" and noting that the Trudeau administration has yet to provide any evidence to back this claim.
 
India has also repeatedly accused Canada of providing safe haven to those wanted on terrorism charges. In November 2023, the MEA said India had sought either extradition or assistance related to that of nearly 25 individuals over the years but the response had not been helpful at all.

Earlier this week, Canada came out with a fresh set of allegations and said top Indian diplomats, including the High Commissioner, were “persons of interest” in the Nijjar murder case. Issuing a strongly-worded statement on Monday (October 14, 2024), the MEA described these as “preposterous imputations” that are part of the “political agenda” of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau centred around “vote-bank politics”. The MEA highlighted Prime Minister Trudeau’s “hostility to India” and his “naked interference in India’s internal politics”. 

“Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from the Indian side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains,” the MEA stated.

The MEA statement maintained that Prime Minister Trudeau’s government had deliberately brought in India to mitigate the damage after criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, adding that the latest allegations also serve the anti-India separatist agenda that his government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains.

India later withdrew its High Commissioner to Ottawa and expelled six Canadian diplomats posted in New Delhi, including the Acting High Commissioner.