Ottawa: The Canadian government has dismissed a media report linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to criminal activities in Canada, including the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, terming it as “speculative and inaccurate”.
The denial made by Nathalie G Drouin, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to Canadian Prime Minister, on Thursday came a day after India strongly trashed the report as “smear campaign”.
Quoting an unnamed senior national security official, The Globe and Mail newspaper on Tuesday reported that Canadian security agencies believe Prime Minister Modi knew about the killing of Nijjar and other violent plots. The official 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.
A news report in The Globe and Mail said that Canadian security agencies believe PM Modi knew about the killings of Nijjar, citing an unnamed senior national security official. India said such “ludicrous statements” should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Now, calling it “speculative and inaccurate”, the Canadian government said it is also “not aware of any evidence” that PM Modi was aware of any such serious criminal activity.
“On October 14, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (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 the evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada,” a statement from Canada’s Privy Council, signed by the PM’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor Nathalie G Drouin read.
The Globe and Mail report said, “Canadian security agencies believe Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India knew about the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia and other violent plots, according to a senior national-security official who worked on the intelligence assessment of New Delhi’s foreign-interference operations in Canada.”
The newspaper also mentioned that Canadian and American intelligence tied the assassination operations to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The unnamed official was also quoted as saying that Doval and Jaishankar were in the loop as well.
In response to the report, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday, “We do not normally comment on media reports. However, such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve.”
Last month, Canada had alleged that Amit Shah “orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence operations aimed at Sikh separatists” operating within Canada. The allegations were levelled by deputy foreign affairs minister David Morrison, who told a parliamentary committee that it was he who confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post.
India had summoned a representative from the Canadian High Commission and lodged its strong objections regarding the serious allegations made by the minister against Shah. “Our actions included summoning the Canadian High Commission representative yesterday, where we delivered a diplomatic note concerning the proceedings of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in Ottawa, dated October 29, 2024,” stated Jaiswal.
