India summons Canadian official over allegations against Union Home Minister

The government on Saturday rubbished a Canadian minister’s allegations against the Union Home Minister as “absurd and baseless”.

The representative of the Canadian High Commission was summoned on Friday and a note protesting the accusations was handed to the official.

Addressing a press conference today, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Regarding the latest Canadian target, we summoned the representative of the Canadian High Commission yesterday… It was conveyed in the note that the Government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Deputy Minister David Morrison.”

Two senior officials of the Justin Trudeau-led government recently confessed to leaking intelligence and sensitive information against India to the Washington Post even before the Canadian police publicly alleged that their probe into the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar revealed links between agents of the Indian government and “homicides and violent acts” in Canada. Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison told a parliamentary panel on Tuesday that a top ranking official in the PM Modi-led government was behind the plots to attack Sikh separatists in Canada.

The government dismissed the allegations and said the move was aimed at discrediting India and “influencing other nations”.

‘In fact, the revelation that high Canadian officials deliberately leak unfounded insinuations to the international media as part of a conscious strategy to discredit India and influence other nations only confirms the view that the government of India has long held about the current Canadian government’s political agenda and behavioural pattern,” the MEA said.

The relations between India and Canada soured following the Canadian government’s allegations of links between Indian agents and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year.

“Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties,” the government said on Saturday.

ON SURVEILLANCE OF INDIAN CONSULAR OFFICIALS
The MEA further slammed the surveillance of India’s consular officials in Canada and said a formal protest has been lodged with the Justin Trudeau-led government over the issue. The government said the surveillance of its officials was a “flagrant violation of diplomatic conventions”.

“Some of our Consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian Government that they have been and continue to be under audio and video surveillance. Their communications have also been intercepted. We have formally protested to the Canadian Government as we deem these actions to be a flagrant violation of relevant diplomatic and consular conventions,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

He accused the Canadian government of “harassment and intimidation” and said that such actions made it difficult to establish diplomatic norms and practices.

“By citing technicalities, the Canadian Government cannot justify the fact that it is indulging in harassment and intimidation. Our diplomatic and consular personnel are already functioning in an environment of extremism and violence. This action of the Canadian Government aggravates the situation and is incompatible with established diplomatic norms and practices,” the MEA spokesperson said.

ON DIWALI EVENT CANCELLATION, REDUCED VISAS
Canada’s opposition leader Pierre Poilievre had cancelled the Diwali celebrations at Parliament Hill amid the ongoing diplomatic row with India. The Overseas Friends of India Canada (OFIC), the event’s organiser, said they received no explanation for the cancellation of the Diwali celebration, originally set to be hosted by Conservative MP Todd Doherty on October 30.

The Ministry of External Affairs said it had seen reports regarding cancellation of Diwali event, adding that it was “unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.”

Meanwhile, the downturn in the already frosty ties between India and Canada has led to uncertainty among visa applicants. The Trudeau government has also announced a reduction in the number of Visas.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the government is monitoring the well-being of Indian students and working professions in Canada.

“Our concern for their safety and security remains strong,” he added.