Chandigarh, 02 November 2024: India has strongly rejected claims made by Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison that Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Khalistani extremists. Terming the allegations “absurd and baseless,” the Indian government summoned a representative from the Canadian High Commission to express its discontent.
The allegations were presented during Morrison’s testimony before Canada’s Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Tuesday. In response, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that a diplomatic note was delivered to the Canadian diplomat on Friday.
“The Government of India protests in the strongest terms the baseless references made to the Union Home Minister by Deputy Minister David Morrison,” Jaiswal said.
Further complicating relations, Canada has acknowledged that its officials leaked sensitive information to the Washington Post. Jaiswal warned that such actions could have “serious consequences” for India-Canada ties.
The spokesperson noted that these revelations confirm India’s longstanding concerns regarding the current Canadian government’s political agenda and behavior. “Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral relations,” he said.
On the issue of Canada’s classification of India as an “adversary” alongside China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran in its National Cyber Threat Assessment, Jaiswal criticized this characterization as lacking evidence.
“This appears to be another example of a Canadian strategy to attack India,” he stated.
“Senior officials have openly confessed that they are seeking to manipulate global opinion against India, with imputations made without any evidence.”
Moreover, Jaiswal addressed reports of surveillance on some Indian consular officials by the Canadian government, labeling it a “flagrant violation” of diplomatic conventions and characterizing the action as harassment and intimidation.
