TNFNew Delhi/ TNF
Relations between Canada and India are growing increasingly tense, as Canada has now accused Indian Home Minister Amit Shah of inciting violence against Sikh separatists in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government made this allegation without providing supporting evidence, and India has yet to issue an official response.
This latest accusation follows previous controversies, including one where Canada named Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, as a “person of interest” in a different investigation. India swiftly denied those claims, calling them unfounded, further straining the diplomatic relationship between the two nations.
According to reports, including one by the Washington Post, Canada’s Deputy Foreign Minister, David Morrison, recently informed a parliamentary committee of Shah’s alleged involvement in violence targeting Sikh separatist activists in Canada. Morrison reportedly confirmed Shah’s role when questioned by a journalist, but he too did not provide concrete evidence to back the claims.
This isn’t the first time Canada has linked India to attacks on Sikh separatists. Last year, Prime Minister Trudeau suggested that the Indian government might have been involved in the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in British Columbia. Trudeau later admitted that this claim was based solely on intelligence reports, lacking any hard evidence. India denied these allegations as baseless and unfounded.
India responded to Canada’s previous designation of Sanjay Verma as a person of interest by expelling six Canadian diplomats and recalling six of its own diplomats from Canada. These actions underscored the seriousness of the situation and signaled a potential diplomatic standoff between the two countries.
The ongoing lack of evidence supporting Canada’s accusations has raised questions, leaving many wondering how India will respond to these latest charges against Amit Shah. As each side continues to accuse the other, the diplomatic rift only deepens, setting the stage for a complex and potentially long-lasting conflict between Canada and India.
