India Slams Trudeau For Damaging Bilateral Relations After Canadian PM's 'Only Intel, No Proof' Admission On Nijjar Killing

The Ministry of External Affairs in a late-night statement reaffirmed its position on the escalating diplomatic row with Canada, placing the blame for the fallout directly on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The ministry reiterated that "Canada has presented us with no evidence whatsoever."

Responding to Justin Trudeau's testimony at the Commission of Inquiry, the External Ministry said, "What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along - Canada has presented us (India) no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats."

The ministry’s statement held Justin Trudeau solely accountable for the deteriorating diplomatic ties, saying that, "The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone."

Testifying before a Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday (15 October), Justin Trudeau admitted that his accusations of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar were based solely on intelligence speculation, with no "hard evidentiary proof" to support the claims.

Reacting to India’s strong rebuke of his "absurd" allegations, and following New Delhi's expulsion of six senior Canadian diplomats over the Prime Minister’s "politically motivated" actions, Trudeau tried to hit back claiming that "The Indian government made a horrific mistake in thinking that they could interfere as aggressively as they did in the safety and sovereignty of Canada."

During his testimony at the public inquiry into foreign interference in federal electoral processes and democratic institutions, Trudeau further accused Indian diplomats of "collecting information on Canadians who who are in disagreement" with the Government of India and allegedly "passing it to the highest levels within the Indian government and criminal organisations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang" – yet another claim for which neither Trudeau nor Canadian authorities have presented any evidence.

When Trudeau had made similar allegations two days ago, New Delhi responded by asserting, "The Canadian government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains."

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