The Canadian government rejected a local media report linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to criminal activities in Canada. A statement in this regard was issued by Nathalie G Drouin, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to Canadian Prime Minister, on Thursday.
Drouin's statement read, “On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India.”
“The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada," it added
"Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate,” the statement read.
Quoting an unnamed senior national security official, The Globe and Mail newspaper had reported on Tuesday that Canadian security agencies believe Prime Minister Modi knew about the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other violent plots.
The official reportedly said Canadian and American intelligence tied the assassination operations to Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah. Also in the loop, the official said, was Doval and Jaishankar.
The report added that while Canada does not have direct evidence that PM Modi knew, the official said the assessment is that it would be “unthinkable” that three senior political figures in India would not have discussed the targeted killings with PM Modi before proceeding.
India rejected The Globe and Mail report and termed it a “smear campaign".
In New Delhi on Wednesday, referring to the The Globe and Mail report, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such "ludicrous statements" should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve and "smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties".
India-Canada ties remain deeply troubled over Canada's alleged support to Khalistani separatists and its accusation of India's involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia in June last year.
India-Canada ties further nosedived last month after Canada linked Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and some other diplomats to the murder. India has strongly rejected all the allegations made by Ottawa in connection to the case and subsequently recalled the high commissioner. The Canadian government had said the Indian diplomats were expelled from the country.
India expelled Canadian Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats following Canada's allegations.
New Delhi accused Ottawa of doing next to nothing to stop the activities of Khalistani supporters who seek to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.
In a press conference on October 14, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme warned of widespread violence, homicides and a public security threat linked to "agents" of the Indian government.
Hours after RCMP's conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “I believe that India has made a monumental mistake by choosing to use their diplomats and organised crime to attack Canadians, to make them feel unsafe here at (their) home, and even more, to create acts of violence and even murder. It's unacceptable.”
