Indian Diplomat Labels Accusations of Canadian MPs’ Interference as “Politically Motivated

Sanjay Verma, India’s envoy to Canada, responded to a report, criticizing it for bias, lack of fair hearing for India, and failure to provide an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses. He accused the report of being influenced by anti-India elements and emphasized the need for infallible evidence. Verma stated that the report was politically motivated and could harm bilateral relations if Canadian institutions were intent on doing so.

The report led to demands by opposition legislators for the government to name those under suspicion, as New Delhi accuses Canada of harboring Khalistani terrorists. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously mentioned credible allegations of Indian government involvement in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada, citing the political space given to Khalistani terrorists in Canada as a potential influence on the report. In response to Verma’s criticism, a special committee of legislators stated that it had spoken to the country’s intelligence agencies, police service, public safety ministry, and studied 4,000 documents.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada called Verma’s remarks “baseless and unprofessional” and affirmed the committee’s complete independence. Canada has pressed India to cooperate with the investigation into the murder of the Sikh separatist leader, and Verma stated that Canada had not yet shared any evidence with India, despite media reports of Canadian intelligence officials visiting India. The killing prompted Canada to pause talks on a proposed trade treaty with India, although bilateral trade in goods and services had exceeded $25 billion last year, with expectations of growth this year.

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