MEA Slams Trudeau’s 'Baseless Accusations', Says 26 Extradition Requests Pending With Canadian Side

Amid a significant diplomatic rift between India and Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks have prompted a strong response from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). During a press conference on Thursday, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s position on the dispute, highlighting that since September 2023, Canada has failed to provide any evidence supporting its serious allegations. 

Jaiswal characterized Trudeau's recent statements as reflecting India's stance and emphasized that India will reject any unfounded accusations against its diplomats. He also pointed out that Canada has not acted on India's requests and confirmed that there are currently 26 pending extradition requests with the Canadian government.

"We had shared some requests with the Canadian side for the arrest of those from Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. They haven’t taken any action on our core concerns. There is a political motive also behind this", Jaiswal said.

The MEA had also issued a statement in the early hours on Thursday in response to media queries related to Trudeau's deposition. "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," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

The ministry further said, “The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.”

Earlier in the day, Trudeau, testifying before the Canada's foreign interference inquiry, said India has been insisting on evidence over allegations levelled by Canada regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar but his government had provided just intelligence, “not hard evidentiary proof.”

"Behind the scenes (were trying) India to co-operate with us. Their ask was...give us the evidence you have on us. Our response was it is within your security agency. You should be looking into how much they know, you should be engaging... 'No, no but show us the evidence'. At that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof. So we said let's work together...," Canadian PM said.

India strongly rejected attempts by the Canadian authorities to link Indian agents with criminal gangs in Canada with official sources in New Delhi even saying that Ottawa's assertion that it shared evidence with New Delhi in the Nijjar case was simply not true. India has denied all the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated" and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country.

Sources in New Delhi also rejected Trudeau's previous allegations that India was engaging in activities, including carrying out covert operations targeting Canadian nationals in his country. The ties between India and Canada soured after Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that he has "credible allegations" of India's hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India-Canada Diplomatic Row

The recent diplomatic row erupted when Canada labelled India's High Commissioner and other diplomats as "persons of interest" in the investigation of Nijjar's death.

Earlier on Monday, India expelled six Canadian diplomats hours after it summoned Canada's Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler and conveyed that the "baseless targeting" of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable.

MEA said earlier that it was underlined to the Canada's Charge d'Affaires that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government's actions endangered their safety and the government had decided to withdraw India's High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and other targeted diplomats and officials.

The Indian government conveyed that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the "Trudeau Government's support for extremism, violence and separatism against India".

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity. 

Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 last year.