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In the diplomatic note, the Indian government protested references made to Amit Shah before a Canadian parliamentary committee.
India summoned a representative of the Canadian High Commission this week to protest references made towards Amit Shah, the home minister, before a Canadian parliamentary committee. (IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK)
India expressed its disapproval towards remarks made in a Canadian parliamentary committee on October 29 regarding Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned a representative from the Canadian High Commission on Wednesday and presented a diplomatic note where it condemned the comments as “absurd and baseless”.
David Morrison is the Canadian deputy foreign affairs minister. He earlier this week told the Canadian Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that Khalistani extremists were targeted on orders of Shah.
“It was conveyed in the Note that the Government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Deputy Minister David Morrison,” the statement said.
The external affairs ministry also said that the recent reports of highly-placed Canadian officials deliberately leaking “unfounded insinuations to the international media” is a “conscious strategy to discredit India and influence other nations”.
It further added that these actions “confirms the view Government of India has long held about the current Canadian Government’s political agenda and behavioural pattern”.
Canada’s national security and intelligence adviser Nathalie Drouin and deputy foreign affairs minister David Morrison told a parliamentary committee in Ottawa that they had leaked details of Shah’s alleged role to the media. However, Morrison did not explain how Canada had verified this information.
Morrison said that he had leaked information to US-based newspaper The Washington Post.
