India has strongly rejected the allegations of Indian interference in the Canadian general elections, rubbishing it as “baseless”. Incidentally, the Ministry of External Affairs noted that the core issue has been the other way around stating that it is Canada that has been interfering in the internal affairs of India.
The country’s stern response comes a day after a report in the Canadian media alleged India’s interference in previous elections held in Canada.
Notably on 5th April (Friday), the Canadian media reported that the country’s spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has alleged that India and Pakistan attempted to “interfere” in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections in Canada.
Earlier this week, on 4th April, the CSIS released certain documents in which it claimed that the Government of India had tried to use its proxy agency in Canada in 2021, as per an unclassified summary written by the CSIS.
These documents by the CSIS alleging India’s interference were tabled as part of the Federal Commission of Inquiry which has been inquiring about “possible meddling” by India, China, Russia, and other countries in the 2019 and 2021 elections, the CBC reported.
While India has rejected the allegations describing them as “baseless”, the Canadian intelligence agency’s director had also stated that the intelligence can’t be necessarily treated as “fact”.
Conspicuously, the Canadian media report pointed out that CSIS Director David Vigneault clarified that intelligence is not necessarily fact, hence, it may require further investigation while all documents caution about the summaries being possibly uncorroborated, single-sourced, or incomplete.
India has maintained its stance which it cleared in February this year. Back then, responding to media reports, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, “We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission inquiring into. We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections.”
He added, “It is not the government of India’s policy to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs.”
Furthermore, the developments come amid strained diplomatic relations between India and Canada following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remark in his parliament accusing India of the killing of the Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year. India had rejected the allegations and has constantly pressed Canada to show ‘any evidence’ to back its allegations against India. Nearly 6 months after Trudeau aired the allegations against India, Canada has yet to produce any evidence in this regard, prompting a senior leader of his ally country, New Zealand to ask, “Where is the evidence?”
In March this year, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters had asked Canada to show evidence, if it had any, that could link India with the alleged murder of the Khalistani terrorist, Nijjar.
Despite New Zealand being an integral member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, he cast doubt on the “quality” and “reliability” of information shared by the intelligence group.
Peters had said, “..look, sometimes when you’re hearing Five-Eyes information, you’re hearing it and saying nothing. It is coming past you. You don’t know the value or the quality of it, but you’re pleased to have it. You don’t know whether there is going to be substantial material value or nothing.”
He added, “As a trained lawyer, I look okay, so where’s the case? Where’s the evidence? Where’s the finding right here, right now? Well, there isn’t one.”
His remarks were in line with the CSIS Director who also asserted that “intelligence inputs” can’t be treated as fact as it has to be corroborated in multiple ways. Some intelligence agencies had earned notoriety for ‘falsifying intel’ to achieve pre-determined end goal, the most infamous being the ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ claim to invade Iraq.