The Washington Post reported late last night that Canadian officials have informed the indian government that "conversations and texts among indian diplomats" who were ordered out of the country yesterday "include references" to Union home minister amit shah and a senior official in the research and analysis wing in india "who have authorized... intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists" in Canada.
This intelligence was shared during a previously undisclosed meeting that took place in singapore on october 12 between senior Canadian security and foreign ministry officials and indian national security advisor Ajit Doval. The minister's identity was omitted from an earlier version of the Washington Post report, which merely mentioned the participation of a "senior official in India." However, the publication then named Shah as the relevant official after receiving more specific information from its sources.
It is unknown what these "references" actually mean or how accurate they are, but Canadian investigators probably tried questioning the indian ambassadors to learn more about the involvement of those whose names had surfaced in intercepted conversations. The indian high commissioner was among the six diplomats who were expelled yesterday as a result of india rejecting Canada's request to have their diplomatic immunity revoked.
The Washington Post story and the Canadian accusation of Shah's involvement have not received a response from the ministries of External Affairs or home Affairs, but retired indian diplomats The Wire spoke with expressed surprise that a cabinet minister could be involved in "operational matters," much less one that required travel.
The Wire was also informed by a former head of an intelligence organization that Shah's official purview did not encompass the kinds of activities that the Canadians allege he participated in.
Shah had already been charged with participating in extrajudicial violence. Ten years prior, the Central Bureau of Investigation had accused him, in his capacity as Gujarat's home minister, of participating in a plot to assassinate Sohrabudddin, his spouse Kauser Bi, and colleague Tulsiram Prajapati through fictitious police encounters. Soon after narendra modi became prime minister, the trial court ultimately dismissed him, and the cbi decided not to file an appeal.
Trudeau now cites "clear and compelling evidence" in the police's possession "that agents of the government of india have engaged in and continue to engage in activities that pose a significant threat to public safety, including clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behavior targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder," the Canadian side appears even more confident in its case than before.
When Trudeau initially accused india was involved in the killing of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in september 2023, he had only mentioned "credible intelligence."
Indeed, Trudeau made a pointed reference to that plot in his remarks to the media in canada on october 14:
“I believe that india has made a monumental mistake by choosing to use their diplomats and organized crime to attack Canadians, to make them feel unsafe here at (their) home, and even more, to create acts of violence and even murder. It’s unacceptable.
“From the beginning, as of last summer, we’ve worked closely with our Five Eyes partners, particularly with the United States, where they have gone through a similar pattern of behavior from india in regards to an attempted extrajudicial killing.”
This intelligence was shared during a previously undisclosed meeting that took place in singapore on october 12 between senior Canadian security and foreign ministry officials and indian national security advisor Ajit Doval. The minister's identity was omitted from an earlier version of the Washington Post report, which merely mentioned the participation of a "senior official in India." However, the publication then named Shah as the relevant official after receiving more specific information from its sources.
It is unknown what these "references" actually mean or how accurate they are, but Canadian investigators probably tried questioning the indian ambassadors to learn more about the involvement of those whose names had surfaced in intercepted conversations. The indian high commissioner was among the six diplomats who were expelled yesterday as a result of india rejecting Canada's request to have their diplomatic immunity revoked.
The Washington Post story and the Canadian accusation of Shah's involvement have not received a response from the ministries of External Affairs or home Affairs, but retired indian diplomats The Wire spoke with expressed surprise that a cabinet minister could be involved in "operational matters," much less one that required travel.
The Wire was also informed by a former head of an intelligence organization that Shah's official purview did not encompass the kinds of activities that the Canadians allege he participated in.
Shah had already been charged with participating in extrajudicial violence. Ten years prior, the Central Bureau of Investigation had accused him, in his capacity as Gujarat's home minister, of participating in a plot to assassinate Sohrabudddin, his spouse Kauser Bi, and colleague Tulsiram Prajapati through fictitious police encounters. Soon after narendra modi became prime minister, the trial court ultimately dismissed him, and the cbi decided not to file an appeal.
Trudeau now cites "clear and compelling evidence" in the police's possession "that agents of the government of india have engaged in and continue to engage in activities that pose a significant threat to public safety, including clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behavior targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder," the Canadian side appears even more confident in its case than before.
When Trudeau initially accused india was involved in the killing of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in september 2023, he had only mentioned "credible intelligence."
Indeed, Trudeau made a pointed reference to that plot in his remarks to the media in canada on october 14:
“I believe that india has made a monumental mistake by choosing to use their diplomats and organized crime to attack Canadians, to make them feel unsafe here at (their) home, and even more, to create acts of violence and even murder. It’s unacceptable.
“From the beginning, as of last summer, we’ve worked closely with our Five Eyes partners, particularly with the United States, where they have gone through a similar pattern of behavior from india in regards to an attempted extrajudicial killing.”
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