Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
In a fresh dent to the already troubled Indo-Canadian diplomatic ties, reports by a security and intelligence committee belonging to Canada, has marked India as the second biggest foreign threat to the North-American country.
According to a report by The Independent, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) - a body comprised of members of the House of Commons and Senate of the government of Canada - has revealed that India has overtaken Russia to become the "second-most significant foreign interference threat to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes". India currently only trails China in this department.
The report released by Canada's NSICOP accused India of "interfering" in the "democratic processes and institutions" of Canada, through "targeting of Canadian politicians, ethnic media, and Indo-Canadian ethnocultural communities".
This is all the more significant as it comes just a year after the killing of Khalistan separatist and Canadian Sikh citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in British Columbia, which adversely affected bilateral ties between the two countries. Three Indian nationals were charged with the murder of Nijjar, with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleging involvement of Indian spies in the incident. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, however, clarified that India had no role to play in Nijjar's murder, and that it had all to do with Canada's internal politics.
"India’s image globally is now actually much much higher than it had been ever… Canada is an exception. You see the different country heads are praising Bharat and its Prime Minister", Jaishankar had said on May 4.
Apart from clarifying its stance on Nijjar's murder, India also hit out at the Canadian government, accusing them of "glorifying violence" and urged the Trudeau government to prevent criminal and secessionist elements from having a safe haven in Canada.
Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry had also put out a statement on May 7, saying, "We continue to remain concerned about the security of our diplomatic representatives in Canada and expect the government of Canada to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear".