A senior Canadian official says Indian Cabinet minister ordered intelligence operations on Canadians

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Canada’s lawman overseas curate confirmed a study Tuesday that Canada is alleging that an Indian Cabinet curate and adjacent advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered intelligence-gathering operations targeting Canadians.

The Washington Post first reported that Canadian officials alleged Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah was down a run of unit and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists successful Canada.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison told Parliament members of nan nationalist information committee Tuesday that he was nan 1 who confirmed Shah’s sanction to nan newspaper.

“The journalist called maine and asked if it was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison told nan committee.

Morrison did not opportunity really Canadian authorities cognize this.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a twelvemonth agone that Canada had reliable grounds that agents of nan Indian authorities were progressive successful the execution of Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar successful British Columbia successful June 2023.

Canadian authorities person many times said they person shared grounds of that pinch Indian authorities.

Indian authorities officials person many times denied Canada has provided grounds and person called nan allegations absurd. India's embassy successful Ottawa didn't instantly respond to messages for a petition for remark connected nan allegation against Shah.

On Oct. 14, Canada expelled nan Indian precocious commissioner a nd 5 different diplomats, alleging they were persons of liking successful aggregate cases of coercion, intimidation and unit aimed astatine quieting a run for an independent Sikh authorities known arsenic Khalistan.

Canada is not nan only state that has accused Indian officials of plotting an assassination connected overseas soil. The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges against an Indian authorities worker this period successful relationship pinch an alleged foiled crippled to termination a Sikh separatist leader surviving successful New York City.

In nan lawsuit announced by nan Justice Department, Vikash Yadav, who authorities opportunity directed nan New York crippled from India, faces murder-for-hire charges successful a planned sidesplitting that prosecutors person antecedently said was meant to precede a drawstring of different politically motivated murders successful nan United States and Canada.

Nathalie Drouin, Trudeau's nationalist information adviser, told nan committee Tuesday that Canada has grounds nan Indian authorities first gathered accusation connected Indian nationals and Canadian citizens successful Canada done negotiated channels and proxies.

She said nan accusation was past passed on to nan authorities successful New Delhi, which allegedly useful pinch a criminal web affiliated pinch Lawrence Bishnoi.

Bishnoi is presently successful situation successful India, but Drouin said his immense criminal web has been linked to homicides, assassination plots, coercion and different convulsive crimes successful Canada.

Before nan Royal Canadian Mounted Police went nationalist pinch allegations that Indian diplomats were persons of liking successful criminal investigations, Drouin said location was an effort to activity pinch nan Indian authorities to guarantee accountability.

Drouin said a gathering was held pinch Modi’s nationalist information adviser, Ajit Doval, successful Singapore 2 days earlier.

Drouin said nan determination was made to spell nationalist erstwhile it became evident nan Indian authorities would not cooperate pinch Canada connected projected accountability measures.

That included asking India to waive negotiated immunity for nan persons of interest, including nan precocious commissioner successful Ottawa. Drouin said this was not seen arsenic likely.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it took nan bonzer measurement of talking publically astir ongoing investigations because of threats to nationalist safety.

The Indian authorities denies nan allegations and has expelled six Canadian diplomats successful return.

Nijjar, 45, was fatally changeable successful his pickup motortruck aft he near nan Sikh temple he led successful Surrey, British Columbia. An Indian-born national of Canada, he owned a plumbing business and was a leader successful what remains of a once-strong activity to create an independent Sikh homeland.

Four Indian nationals surviving successful Canada were charged pinch Niijar’s execution and are awaiting trial.

Drouin and Morrison were called arsenic witnesses astatine nan committee alongside Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme arsenic good arsenic nan head of Canada's spy service.