India Rejects "Absurd", "Baseless" Canadian Allegations Against Home Minister Amit Shah, Warns Of "Serious Consequences"

India on Saturday (2 November) rubbished Canadian minister's claims that Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered the targeting of Khalistani extremists in the country as "absurd and baseless".

This comes after Canada's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison had told members of the country's Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on Tuesday that Shah had ordered a campaign of violence, intimidation and intelligence gathering targeting Khalistani extremists. 

Morrison also said that he had confirmed Shah's name to The Washington Post, which had first reported the allegations.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday that a representative of the Canadian High Commission was summoned on Friday and a diplomatic note was handed over.

"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," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press briefing.

On Morrison leaking information to the US media, the MEA spokesperson said this proves that high-ranking Canadian officials deliberately leaked "unfounded insinuations" to the international media as part of a "conscious strategy" to discredit India.

"In fact, the revelation that high Canadian officials deliberately leak unfounded insinuations to the international media as part of a conscious strategy to discredit India and influence other nations only confirms the view Government of India has long held about the current Canadian Government's political agenda and behavioural pattern. Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties," Jaiswal said. 

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