Top Canadian officials have accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of leading a campaign targeting Sikh separatists in Canada, escalating tensions between the two nations.
Canada's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, David Morrison, told members of the Parliamentary national security committee that he had shared Shah's alleged involvement in this campaign with The Washington Post.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, Nathalie Drouin, told the committee that intelligence gathered by Canada suggests that India collected information on Indian nationals and Canadian citizens through diplomatic channels and proxies, and worked with criminal networks linked to figures like Lawrence Bishnoi to intimidate or harm separatist leaders, reported the Associated Press.
However, a Reuters repot informed that Canada has not released any evidence of Shah's alleged role in the campaign against Pro-Khalistan separatists.
Drouin, meanwhile, said the information was passed to New Delhi and there was an effort to work with the Indian government to ensure accountability.
She also claimed that a meeting was held with her Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in Singapore two days earlier. However, Canada decided to go public when it became evident the Indian government would not cooperate, she said.
The diplomatic dispute between India and Canada began after Trudeau accused Indian agents of involvement in the June 2023 killing of separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Canada claims to have shared evidence of India’s involvement, though India has dismissed these allegations as baseless. India has retaliated by expelling Canadian diplomats and recalling its own diplomats from Canada.
Canada's intelligence committee held hearings with Drouin, Morrison, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to discuss the situation. The RCMP alleged that Canada went public with the accusations due to threats to public safety.
The escalating feud has also impacted Canada-India diplomatic ties, with both countries limiting their diplomatic representation and issuing warnings over alleged interference.
