NEW DELHI: India has strongly refuted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims, stating that the assertions made by Canadian officials about presenting evidence in the Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar case are untrue.
“Canadian PM Trudeau’s press conference yesterday was the ‘same old Trudeau saying the same old things for the same old reasons. The central assertion from all Canadian officials is that credible evidence has been presented to India.This was also repeated by their charge de affairs to the press. This is simply not true. From the very beginning, the Canadian approach has been to make vague accusations and put the burden of denial on India,” news agency ANI quoted government sources as saying.
India also dismissed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) allegations that Indian agents use criminals in Canada to target the South Asian community, particularly “pro-Khalistani elements,” citing a lack of specific evidence.
“At the RCMP press briefing, assertions were made about connections of certain individuals to India. In no case were any specifics provided. There was also talk about holding people accountable. But it was never made clear who and for what. It is absurd that after intensively engaging the High Commissioner over the last year, the Canadian government now chooses to target him,” sources said.
The RCMP made these remarks during a press conference in Ottawa, shortly after India expelled six diplomats of the Canadian high commission in Delhi.
The relationship between India and Canada has been under significant strain since September last year, when Trudeau alleged the potential involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing. India rejected these charges as “absurd” and maintained that the primary issue is Canada’s tolerance of pro-Khalistani elements operating freely on Canadian soil.
Earlier today, Trudeau accused India of using its diplomats and organized crime to attack Canadian citizens and make them feel unsafe in their own country, calling it a “monumental mistake” by New Delhi.
“From the beginning, as of last summer, we’ve worked closely with our Five Eyes partners, particularly with the United States, where they have gone through a similar pattern of behaviour from India in regards to an attempted extrajudicial killing,” Trudeau told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa.
“We will continue to work with our allies as we stand up together for the rule of law,” he said.