In the first public statement after being recalled by New Delhi following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ongoing "hostility" towards India, senior diplomat and High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma dismissed on Sunday the accusations made by Ottawa as "politically motivated" as no evidence had been provided to him or the Indian government in this regard by the Canadian government regarding India's alleged role in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year.
"Nothing at all. No evidence was presented. Politically motivated," Verma said in an interview with Canada's CTV before leaving the country.
Earlier this week, India had announced that it was pulling back its High Commissioner along with "other targeted diplomats and officials" from Canada, after the Trudeau government – in what New Delhi called "preposterous imputations" – suggested that Indian diplomats, including the High Commissioner, were 'persons of interest' in an investigation in process.
When asked about India's refusal to cooperate with what it called investigation, Verma said, "If Mr. Trudeau or his colleagues know about it, is it not a crime not to file a charge sheet? Is it not a crime not to go by the judicial process? On what basis do they want to question me. If you are a defendant, for example, which I am not, then you would be shared with evidence and that happens even if you are caught for a petty crime. If I'm going for an interrogation I need to know what I am interrogated for. I need to know what evidence you have so I go prepared."
In fact, the MEA had rebuked Ottawa for raising questions about Verma's integrity – a senior diplomat with 36 years of distinguished service, including Ambassadorial assignments to Japan and Sudan – as "ludicrous" and something that deserved to be condemned.
In his interview, Verma again drove home the point that the Indian government has "never" targeted any individuals for killing.
New Delhi has always maintained that the Trudeau government had "consciously provided" a safe haven to violent extremists and terrorists who harass, threaten, and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada.
India on 14 October interpreted its decision to withdraw Verma and other diplomats as a reflection of its lack of confidence in the current Canadian Government commitment toward ensuring their safety in an atmosphere of extremism and violence.
"The first point is show me the evidence and I have been talking about it from the very first day. Also, do we want to know what the Khalistani elements are doing in Canada. Yes, that we have to know. It is our national interest and the core concern with Canada which is trying to tear up the Indian territory. So, if the Canadian politicians are so novice that they want me not to know what my enemies are doing here, then they don't know what international relations are all about," Verma told CTV.
On Wednesday, while testifying before a Canadian inquiry into foreign interference, Trudeau admitted that Ottawa had intelligence but no concrete proof before making allegations against India regarding Nijjar's death.
"At that point, it was largely intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof," Trudeau acknowledged during an on-camera session before the committee.
Now, Trudeau faces a tough political situation, both from within his nation and around the world, as anger grows not only within his party but also among several leaders and Members of Parliament who have been reported to start putting in their formal request for him to step down within the coming days.
The Canadian media reported Thursday that at least 20 MPs have agreed to sign a demand for removing the Prime Minister, "quickly snowballing into a serious effort" for forcing him out of office.
New Delhi has repeatedly claimed that Trudeau is pursuing a "deliberate strategy" to malign India for his own political mileage.
Commenting on the ongoing situation, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said on Thursday, "What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along – Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats. The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone."
Read also| Yahya Sinwar Dies from Gunshot Wound to the Head
Read also| No Timeline for Ukraine War, Thanks Modi for Concern, Supports BRICS Description, Putin
