Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has recently harshly criticized officials in his national security agencies, calling them “criminals.” Trudeau said these officials leaked confidential information to the media, so the news often turned out to be wrong. The statement came after a Canadian newspaper included the names of Indian leaders in a report on the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, further raising tensions in the already strained relations between India and Canada.
What did Trudeau say?
Prime Minister Trudeau said during a news conference in Brampton on Friday: “Unfortunately we have seen that criminals who leak classified facts to the media have consistently provided misinformation.” He added: “That is why we have launched a national investigation into foreign interference, which shows that the perpetrators of the leak of information to the media are not only untrustworthy, but also criminals.”
This was revealed in a Canadian media report.
Earlier this week, a major Canadian media outlet, citing an NSA report, claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of an alleged plot to assassinate Nijjar. The report also said that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and national security advisor Ajit Doval were involved in this conspiracy, which was allegedly led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. However, no concrete evidence was presented in this report.
The Canadian government had denied
The Canadian government issued a statement Thursday denying these allegations. Trudeau’s intelligence adviser Natalie Drouin said: “The Government of Canada has not made any statements nor is it aware of any evidence linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar or NSA Doval to any serious criminal activity in Canada.” . “Any suggestion to the contrary is mere speculation and incorrect.”
India called the report absurd and expressed its protest.
Following the publication of this Canadian media report, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called the allegations “absurd” and dismissed it as a “smear campaign.” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said these allegations are completely “reprehensible” and should be ignored.
Tension in relations between India and Canada
Diplomatic relations between Canada and India have already been strained. In June 2023, Prime Minister Trudeau accused India that Indian agents had played a role in Nijjar’s murder. India called this accusation “absurd” and “politically motivated.” Since then, India has repeatedly accused Canada of providing shelter to people involved in terrorism and criminal activities that harm Indian interests.
In recent months, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Canada has linked Indian officers to criminal activities in Canada, including murder, extortion and organized crime. As a result, both countries expelled each other’s high-ranking diplomats.
This report by the Canadian media has once again increased diplomatic tension between India and Canada, which were already affected by deep political disputes. India called it completely “imaginary” and held Canada responsible for such “reprehensible” reports.
What were the allegations regarding the Nijjar murder investigation?
Since the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, there have been several diplomatic exchanges between India and Canada. India has accused Canadian “collaborators” of being behind the murder, while Canada has accused Indian agents of doing so. These accusations have emerged at a time when relations between the two countries are already delicate.
Canada must understand its responsibility: India
India also said that Canada should understand its responsibility and directly deny such political allegations, so that relations between the two countries do not deteriorate further. In general, relations between India and Canada have become more complicated. Amid growing diplomatic tensions and political finger-pointing between the two countries, the direction of these relations may become even more important in the times to come.
