MEA summons Canadian diplomat

India on Saturday said it had summoned the Canadian High Commission and issued a strong protest over Ottawa’s allegations against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“Yesterday, we summoned a representative of the Canadian High Commission and a diplomatic note was delivered regarding the consideration of the Standing Committee on Public and National Security in Ottawa on October 29, 2024,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.

India has expressed its strongest protest against the Canadian minister’s reference to Shah and said such “absurd and baseless” allegations will have serious ramifications for bilateral ties between the two countries, the MEA said on Saturday.

The comments came after Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison said on Tuesday that Shah had ordered a campaign of violence, intimidation and intelligence gathering against Sikh separatists in Canada. Morrison also told members of Canada’s national security committee that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which first reported the allegations.

Jaiswal said this revelation that senior Canadian government officials deliberately leaked unsubstantiated insinuations to the international media as part of a deliberate strategy to discredit India and influence other countries only confirms the view the Indian government has long held about the current Canadian government’s policy agenda and behavior . .

Answering questions during the weekly press briefing, Jaiswal said such irresponsible actions would have serious consequences for bilateral relations.

He said India had summoned a representative of the Canadian High Commission on Friday and the official had been handed a diplomatic note to lodge a strong protest against the “absurd and baseless” remarks made by the Canadian deputy minister against India’s home minister.

Speaking to members of parliament, Morrison did not say how Canada knew about Shah’s alleged involvement. Diplomatic relations between India and Canada have soured since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a year ago that Canada had credible evidence that Indian government agents were involved in the June 2023 killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijar in British Columbia. . Dismissing the allegations As absurd, Indian government officials have consistently denied that Canada has provided evidence.

Last month, India recalled its high commissioner, Sanjay Verma, after Canada named the diplomat a “person of interest” in the investigation into Nijar’s murder. New Delhi recalled its high commissioner and expelled six Canadian diplomats from its territory.

Calling Canada’s behavior a “failure”, Verma said in an interview last week that the country, which is supposed to be a friendly democracy, had stabbed India in the back and treated it very unprofessionally. “A handful of supporters of Khalistan have turned the ideology into a criminal enterprise that engages in a range of activities such as arms sales and human trafficking, and yet the Canadian authorities turn a blind eye to this because they constitute a vote bank for local politicians. Verma said.

India also accused Canada of “harassing and intimidating” Indian consular staff through audio and video surveillance, in “gross violation” of diplomatic conventions. “Yes, the Canadian government recently informed some of our consular staff that they were and continue to be under audio and video surveillance. Their communication was also intercepted. We have submitted an official protest to the Canadian government, as we consider these actions to be a gross violation of the relevant diplomatic and consular conventions,” Jaiswal said during the briefing.

“On technicalities, the Canadian government cannot justify the fact that it condones harassment and intimidation,” he argued.