Canada has denied media reports suggesting that it sought to link Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with the killing of ‘Khalistan’ supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Indian and Canadian Prime Minister (Photo:Twitter)
Canada has denied media reports suggesting that it sought to link Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with the killing of ‘Khalistan’ supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The denial came after India strongly objected to a report quoting unnamed officials in the Canada-based Globe and Mail newspaper that attempted to draw a connect between Nijjar’s killing last year to PM Modi and his top aides.
In a statement, the Privy Council of Canada said, “On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India”.
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It added, “The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada. “Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate”.
On November 20, India had strongly refuted the media report, saying it should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. The Ministry of External Affairs had emphasised that “smear campaigns” like this will only further damage the already strained ties between the two nations.
“We do not normally comment on media reports. However, such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiwal.
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