Ganesh Kendale
TOI correspondent from Washington:Canada has invoked support from its “five eyes” intelligence partners and G-7 nations to warn India of sanctions over allegations that New Delhi is involved in transnational hits of Khalistani terrorists on its territory, even as an Indian team probing the matter is holding talks in Washington on Tuesday.
“Everything is on the table,” Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said at a news conference when asked if Ottawa is considering sanctions against India.She said Canada will continue to “push India to make sure they cooperate” and will continue to engage on the issue with “five eyes” partners, an intelligence alliance that includes the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, and also Group of Seven nations that includes France, Germany and Italy.
Joly’s threat came on the heels of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once again going public with allegations of India’s involvement amid push back from critics that he is exacerbating the issue for domestic political compulsions where his minority government is dependent on support from separatist Sikhs.
“Justin Trudeau again fails to provide compelling evidence to the public after escalating the tensions with India. Diplomats have been expelled and we are still in the “trust me bro” phase. This could end up costing Canada billions in trade. All to appease Jagmeet and the gang of Khalistani ministers,” a Canadian geopolitical analyst tweeted, as the spat cascaded into social media, where supporters and critics of the Modi and Trudeau governments clashed.
Trudeau though maintained in remarks at a press conference and a lengthy statement that Canada has “clear and compelling evidence that agents of the Government of India have engaged in, and continue to engage in, activities that pose a significant threat to public safety,” and New Delhi had rebuffed several Canadian attempts to apprise India of it.
“This includes clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder. This is unacceptable,” Trudeau said, asserting, in an effort to expand the scope of action against India,”that Canada’s position on extrajudicial operations abroad will henceforth be unequivocally aligned with international law.”
Trudeau said Canadian officials had met with their Indian counterparts to share “evidence which concluded six agents of the Government of India are persons of interest in criminal activities and despite repeated requests…India has decided not to co-operate.” The six accused appears to include India’s high commissioner to Canada, one of the highest ranking diplomats in India, whose diplomatic immunity Ottawa wants revoked.
Meanwhile, US State Department on Tuesday confirmed, without referring to Canada’s expanded allegations, that an Indian Enquiry Committee established to investigate activities of certain organized criminals is actively investigating the individual who was identified last year in the Department of Justice’s indictment as an Indian government employee who directed a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen in New York City.
US federal prosecutors last November charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee in the alleged foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. Gupta, who arrested in the Czech Republic in June last year, was extradited to the US and remains in custody.
The US statement made no mention of the Canadian charges, but said as part of their ongoing investigations to discuss the case, including information they have obtained, the Indian team will receive an update regarding the US case. Additionally, India has informed the United States they are continuing their efforts to investigate other linkages of the former government employee and will determine follow up steps, as necessary, it added.
