India-Canada Row: After months of escalating tensions and exchange of allegations between India and Canada, a new Canadian commission report released on Tuesday claimed ‘no definitive link to a foreign state’ behind Khalistani Separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death. Earlier, on September last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Canada possessed credible proof suggesting India’s involvement in Nijjar’s killing.
According to media reports, the Canadian report titled ‘Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions’ casts doubts on Trudeau’s claims and find no foreign link. While the report mentions about the possibility that India might have involved in spreading disinformation following Trudeau’s allegations, Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue noted that a foreign state’s involvement had not been proven.
The 123 page report from the Canadian Commission also claimed that India was actively involved in the country’s electoral process after China. The documents also highlighted India’s role as a critical actor on the global stage, similar to PRC.
The report mentioned the six diplomats expelled last year, labeling them as ‘agents’. Additionally, it referred to the incident on October 14, 2024, when Canada expelled six Indian diplomats after police collected evidence that linked them as agents of the Indian government’s ‘campaign of violence’.
In a strongly worded response on Wednesday, January 29, 2-25, India has firmly rejected a Canadian report alleging the Indian government’s interference in Canadian elections. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that it is Canada that has been consistently interfering in India’s internal affairs. On Tuesday, January 28, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen a report about alleged activities on purported interference. It is in fact Canada which has been consistently interfering in India’s internal affairs.”
Also Read: ‘It Is In Fact Canada’: India Hits Back At Canada’s Allegations Of Election Interference
