India rebukes Canada’s allegations against Home Minister amid escalating diplomatic dispute – JURIST

India issued a strong diplomatic protest against Canada on Saturday after Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison alleged that India’s Home Minister, Amit Shah, had been linked to plots against Sikh activists in Canada, further straining diplomatic ties between the two countries. The controversy began when Morrison, addressing a parliamentary committee,  confirmed that he had shared Shah’s name with The Washington Post, although no evidence of this alleged connection was provided.

India responded swiftly, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissing the allegations as “absurd” while accusing Canadian officials of orchestrating a campaign to harm India’s global reputation. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal claimed that top Canadian officials were intentionally leaking unproven claims to international media to influence global opinion, adding that such actions would have serious consequences for bilateral relations. In an official protest, India summoned a Canadian diplomat to convey its displeasure. New Delhi also expressed concern over reports that Canadian authorities placed Indian diplomatic staff under surveillance, viewing this as a breach of international conventions and an attempt to intimidate consular officials.

The diplomatic spat has seen both countries engage in retaliatory measures. In October, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, after an RCMP investigation alleged that “consular officials based in Canada leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India”. India retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats.

This diplomatic discord traces back to 2023 when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. India has consistently rejected these claims, but the resulting tensions have rippled through the Indian diaspora in Canada.

With diplomatic relations at a low, both nations face the challenge of reconciling security interests with the need to maintain a cooperative and respectful relationship.