India-Canada Row: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under scrutiny after he publicly accused the Indian government of deploying its agents in Canada to conduct illegal activities such as murder and extortion. A significant debate sparked after reports surfaced suggesting that Trudeau’s close aide leaked sensitive intelligence on India to the US-based Washington Post ahead of Canada’s official briefing.
According to The Globe and Mail, a few days before Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) alleged a link between Indian agents and violent crimes that included homicides, Trudeau’s national security advisor, Nathalie Drouin, revealed sensitive intel information regarding India to the publication.
This leak also reportedly contained information on the murder of pro-Khalistan militant Sukhdool Singh Gill, who was shot in Winnipeg, Canada, on September 20, 2023. Gill’s death occurred shortly after Trudeau accused Indian diplomats of being involved in the assassination of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023.
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Trudeau Admits Canada Has ‘No Hard Proof’
Trudeau recently mentioned at the Foreign Interference Commission that information regarding the Canadians who are in disagreement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was passed to the Indian government at the ‘highest level’. While Trudeau himself provided ‘no hard proof’ linking India to the murder of Nijjar, he mentioned reports from his intelligence input.
The newspaper noted that the time of leaking the intelligence to an American publication is in contrast with Trudeau’s remarks on the leaks regarding Chinese interference in Canadian elections.
Escalating Canada-India Tensions
Relations between India and Canada have deteriorated nearly a year after the allegations surfaced, with both expelling each other’s high commissioners.
Canada recently expelled six Indian diplomats, due to evidence of their involvement in coercive intelligence operations. In response, India expelled six Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner in New Delhi.
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