Top officials of the Canadian government have admitted to leaking sensitive information regarding the Indian government’s alleged involvement in hostile activities on the Canadian soil to a popular US daily.
Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison on Tuesday told Parliament members of the national security committee that India’s Home Minister Amit Shah “ordered a campaign of violence, intimidation and intelligence-gathering” targeting Sikh separatists in Canada, news agency Associated Press reported.
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Morrison told the committee that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which first reported the allegations a day before India recalled its six diplomats, including the High Commissioner, from Canada.
“The journalist called me and asked if it was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison told Parliament members. However, he did not comment on how Canada knew of Shah’s alleged involvement.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser Nathalie Drouin told the committee that Canada has evidence the Indian government first gathered information on Indian nationals and Canadian citizens in Canada through diplomatic channels and proxies.
The Globe and Mail reported that the leaked information not only pointed to Shah, but also connected India to the killing of Sikh activist Sukhdool Singh Gill, who was shot in Winnipeg last year.
On being quizzed, Drouin said the decision to leak information to The Washington Post was part of a strategy to ensure a major US outlet reported on Canada’s stance in its escalating foreign-interference dispute with India.
“We provided non-classified information on our actions and the evidence linking the Indian government to illegal activities targeting Canadians, including life-threatening threats,” Drouin testified, adding that similar briefings were shared with Canadian opposition leaders.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had last month lashed out at Canada’s “preposterous imputations” on the involvement of Indian diplomats in the Nijjar case, warning that India “reserves the right to take further steps in response”.
India had also ordered the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats, while also announcing its decision to withdraw the Indian High Commissioner to Canada and “other targeted diplomats”, citing security concerns after Ottawa identified them as “persons of interest” in its investigation into Nijjar’s killing.
