New Delhi: India has dismissed recent claims made by a Canadian official that Home Minister Amit Shah ordered targeting operations against Khalistani extremists in Canada, calling them “absurd and baseless.” Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison said before the country’s Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that Shah had directed a campaign involving intimidation, violence and intelligence operations against Khalistani activists.
Responding to these remarks, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs summoned a representative from the Canadian High Commission on Thursday to deliver a diplomatic note denouncing the claims. Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned the statements made by Morrison, arguing that the references to the Union Home Minister were without merit. The official communication to Canada firmly rejected the accusations, stressing that any such statements only serve to strain bilateral relations.
India accuses Canada of misleading media leaks
Morrison reportedly confirmed Shah’s alleged involvement to *The Washington Post*, which initially broke the story. India has since argued that this is evidence of high-level Canadian officials strategically leaking misleading information to the media, accusing Canada of a calculated effort to undermine India’s global standing. Jaiswal warned that such actions could have “serious consequences” for diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Apart from that, when asked about reports indicating Canada had included India in a list of “adversaries” in its National Cyber Threat Assessment, Jaiswal said the categorisation is another baseless attack on India’s reputation, again lacking evidence.
India condemns surveillance of consular officials
Jaiswal further said that Indian consular officials in Canada have allegedly been placed under surveillance, which he labelled a “flagrant violation” of diplomatic protocols. He said that these actions constitute harassment and intimidation, noting that consular staff were already operating under heightened risks of extremism and violence and urged Canada to respect established diplomatic standards.
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