Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly criticised Canadian government’s ‘hostility’ on Monday while rejecting a diplomatic note that named Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats in the ongoing investigation of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing. The foreign ministry labeled the claims as ‘baseless’ and dubbed them to be politically motivated move by the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau government.
The MEA statement said, “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.”
“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,” the foreign ministry’s press release added.