• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

The Justin Trudeau-led Canadian government has denied linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to any criminal activity in Canada, including the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

This comes after Canada's The Globe and Mail news outlet, citing unnamed Canadian officials, suggested that PM Modi was aware of a plot to kill a Khalistani activist. The report further claimed that India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were also informed about the plan. 

The report, however, acknowledged that the Canadian government had no evidence to support these claims against PM Modi.

ALSO READ: Canada Extends Working Hours For Students Doing Jobs Without Work Permits

In a statement, the Canadian government said, "On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the 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 evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada. Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate.”

The statement comes a day after India rejected the Canadian media report saying, “Such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties.”

India has consistently denied any involvement in Hardeep Nijjar’s killing and dismissed the accusations as "absurd" and politically motivated. Nijjar was shot and killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023, in British Columbia. Canadian authorities have since arrested and charged four Indian nationals in connection with his murder.

ALSO READ: ‘Ludicrous’: India Dismisses Canadian Media Report Linking PM Modi, Jaishankar To Nijjar Killing Amid Strained Ties

The strained diplomatic ties between India and Canada reached an all-time low after Ottawa labelled the Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and five other Indian diplomats as "persons of interest" in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, designated as a terrorist by the NIA. In response, New Delhi strongly condemned the action and recalled six diplomats, including Verma.

Also In News