Sanjay Verma’s remarks had been the primary formal response by India to the report.
Ottawa:
India has mentioned a report by Canadian legislators alleging interference by New Delhi is politically motivated and influenced by Sikh separatists.
Already chilly bilateral ties cooled additional final month when a gaggle of parliamentarians, citing intelligence studies, alleged some elected Canadian officers had been “witting or semi-witting” contributors in overseas interference operations.
India and China had been the primary overseas threats to Canada’s democratic establishments, it mentioned.
Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s envoy to Canada, mentioned the report was biased, didn’t give a good listening to to India and didn’t give a possibility to cross-examine witnesses.
“It has been influenced by anti-India components … it’s worthwhile to come out with infallible proof. I do not see any trace of that,” he advised Reuters.
“That is all politically motivated…if Canadian establishments are bent upon hurt(ing) bilateral relations with India, that can occur.”
His remarks had been the primary formal response by India to the report, which triggered calls for by opposition legislators for the federal government to call these below suspicion.
New Delhi accuses Canada of harboring Khalistani terrorists.
Final 12 months, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited credible allegations of Indian authorities involvement within the homicide of a Sikh separatist chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed within the Canadian province of British Columbia in June 2023.
“There’s numerous political house given to Khalistani terrorists in Canada and due to this fact I might count on them to have influenced the complete course of by means of their representatives,” Mr Verma mentioned.
The particular committee of legislators, requested about Mr Verma’s criticism, mentioned the “committee speaks to and thru its studies” and famous it had spoken to the nation’s two intelligence companies, the police service, the general public security ministry, and studied 4,000 paperwork.
The places of work of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Overseas Minister Melanie Joly referred queries to the general public security ministry, which mentioned it could permit the committee to talk to the report.
The World Sikh Group of Canada, an Ottawa-based Sikh advocacy group, referred to as Mr Verma’s remarks “baseless and unprofessional” and mentioned the committee had operated with full independence.
Canada is urgent India to cooperate with the investigation into the homicide of Nijjar.
Mr Verma mentioned Canada had but not shared any proof with India, following media studies that Canadian intelligence company officers visited India twice this 12 months.
Final month, the Canadian police arrested and charged 4 Indian males on suspicion of Nijjar’s homicide.
The killing prompted Canada to pause talks on a proposed commerce treaty. The 2 nations had been speaking on and off since 2010 a couple of complete financial partnership settlement.
“If Canada decides to (ask) us to renew talks … we are going to take a name,” Mr Verma mentioned.
At the same time as diplomatic relations deteriorate, bilateral commerce in items and providers surpassed $25 billion final 12 months, Mr Verma mentioned, including it could develop this 12 months.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
