As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified before a Commission of Inquiry, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said what it has heard only 'confirms' New Delhi's consistent stand that Canada has 'presented us no evidence' in support of the serious allegations Ottawa chose to level against India and Indian diplomats.
'There are supporters of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's government in Canada, but they do not represent all Hindu Canadians'
Canada's Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya has announced that he is running to be the next prime minister, hours before his Liberal Party announced that their next leader will be chosen on March 9.
Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mlanie Joly on Friday said the remaining Indian diplomats in the country are "clearly on notice".
The head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has urged the Sikh community in Ottawa to speak out as they continue to investigate allegations linking the Indian government to a campaign of violence on Canadian soil.
She said India was asked to waive diplomatic and consular immunity and cooperate in the investigation but refused.
Canada's allegations against Union Home Minister Amit Shah are 'concerning', the United States said on Wednesday, noting that it would continue to consult Ottawa on the issue.
The formal inauguration of Canada-India Center of Excellence in Science, Technology and Policy, Carleton University, Ottawa will coincide with India's Independence Day, August 15.
The Indian government has expressed deep concern over the safety of Indian students in Canada after three students were murdered last week. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Indian High Commission in Ottawa has raised the issue with Canadian authorities, emphasizing the importance of the safety and security of Indian nationals. The MEA has also issued an advisory for Indian nationals and students to exercise caution and remain vigilant due to the growing incidence of hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada.
Evidence should have been shared first, but someone decided to stand in the Parliament and talk about a thing for which he himself has said there was 'no hard evidence'
"What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along -- Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats," the MEA spokesperson said in the statement.
India on Wednesday strongly trashed as 'smear campaign' a Canadian media report that claimed that the Indian prime minister was aware of the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
"From the beginning, as of last summer, we've worked closely with our Five Eyes partners, particularly with the United States, where they have gone through a similar pattern of behaviour from India in regards to an attempted extrajudicial killing," Trudeau told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa.
The Indian government has lodged a strong protest with Canada after consular officials at the Indian consulate in Vancouver were informed they were under audio and video surveillance and that their private communications had been intercepted. The Indian government maintains that Canada has provided space for pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity and has urged Canada to take action against anti-India elements.
During the briefing, Jaiswal reiterated that so far no evidence has been shared by Canada.
'It was a fiasco on the part of the Indian government to think that it could carry out crimes in Canada and the US and get away with it'
India on Saturday accused Canada of indulging in 'harassment and intimidation' of Indian consular staff there by putting them under audio and video surveillance in 'flagrant violation' of diplomatic conventions.
"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," the statement added.
All this is happening because Canada has for decades deliberately invited these foreigners and their tribal conflicts into our country. We should recognise this major blunder and work with the government of India to find solutions instead of jeopardising our relations with a rising world power and an important ally over this issue
Of the 26 requests sent to Canada for extraditing Khalistani terrorists, Ottawa has resolved only five and the rest remain in limbo, India's top envoy to that country has said, calling it the result of 'inaction'.
'He is convinced that this will help him in the next election.' 'But as we know, the best laid plans of mice and men can go awry.'
Incidentally, the allegations come at a time when Lawrence Bishnoi is in the news in India for his alleged involvement in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai.
While there was no mention of India in the National Cyber Threat Assessment reports of 2018, 2020 and 2023-24, the 2025-26 assessment mentions India -- along with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea -- in the 'Cyber threat from state adversaries' section that introduces the state cyber threat ecosystem and discusses the cyber threats to Canada.
Trudeau claimed the Indian diplomats were collecting information on Canadians who are in disagreement with the Narendra Modi government and passing it to the highest levels within the Indian government and criminal organisations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
'Canada doesn't want to de-escalate and neither does India. There is war when one party wants it, but peace is won by both parties.'
The escalation in the diplomatic row between India and Canada will not have an impact on the bilateral trade and investment ties between the two countries, government sources said on Tuesday. They also said that the bilateral trade value is not significant and Canadian funds can route their investments through Singapore, the UAE and the US. "India is a preferred investment destination," they said.
New Delhi's protest came a day after the Canadian parliament observed a "moment of silence" in the memory of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia, in June last year.
India first raised the presence of organised crime in Canada but the issue was ignored because of a permissive atmosphere for a long time, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, rejecting the targeting of its high commissioner and diplomats by the Trudeau government.
Chandra Arya, a Member of Parliament from Nepean in the House of Commons, said in a post on his X account that separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice released a video demanding that Arya and his Hindu-Canadian friends go back to India after he (Arya) condemned the vandalism of the Hindu temple and other acts of hate and violence by Khalistan supporters in Canada.
Canada's intelligence agency chief David Vigneault paid two under-the-wraps visits to India in February and March to apprise Indian officials of the case relating to the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, people familiar with the matter said.
The unease in India-Canada ties was on display when Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday responded to a congratulatory message from his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau and said New Delhi looks forward to working with Ottawa based on mutual understanding and respect for 'each other's concerns'.
'Are we to believe that coordinated moves by the Canadian and US authorities are no longer taking place?', asks Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Fabian cautioned that things may get worse if the current trajectory continues.
Top Canadian officials have reportedly admitted to leaking details about India's interference to The Washington Post, but these specifics were not shared with Canadians, The Globe and Mail newspaper reported.
A Canadian high commission spokesperson on Friday said the slashing of the size of the Indian staff was necessary given the reduction of Canadian staff in the country.
India's para-badminton duo of Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manisha Ramadass won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the women's singles SU5 category at the Paris Paralympics.
India believes that Canada doesn't take seriously violence or terrorism or incitement to hatred seriously, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday as he cited foundational responsibility for the Canadian government for not taking actions against those espousing violence and terrorism against a third country.
Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya also condemned the violence and said that a "red line has been crossed" by Khalistani extremists, highlighting the rise of brazen violent extremism in Canada.
The 'deliberate attack' on a Hindu temple in Canada sparked strong condemnation in India on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.
It said the actions not only impact India-Canada relations but also encourage a climate of violence and criminality in Canada to the detriment of its own citizens.
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