The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday dismissed the Trudeau government's allegations of Indian diplomats' involvement in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar as "preposterous imputations."
Notably, the Canadian PM had alleged their agencies were actively perusing ‘credible allegations’ of potential links between agents of the government of India in the killing of a Canadian citizen (referring to the murder of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey on June 18).
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“We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are 'persons of interest' in a matter related to an investigation in that country. The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics,” the MEA statement read.
The Foreign Ministry also said the Canadian government had not shared any evidence to substantiate their claim in Nijjar’s killing, adding that deliberate attempts were being made to use India for political gains.
“Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains,” it added.
Diplomatic ties between India and Canada are witnessing the worst phase since the latter blamed the Indian government’s role in the Khalistani leader's killing. India also tore into Canada during the ASEAN Summit, asserting that Trudeau cannot level unsubstantiated accusations against the Modi government over the Khalistan sympathiser’s murder. India also admonished Trudeau for issuing directives to investigative agencies to pursue the alleged culprits