New Delhi:

India on Wednesday strongly trashed as “smear campaign” a Canadian media report that claimed that the Indian prime minister was aware of the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Referring to the report quoting an unnamed official, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such “ludicrous statements” should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve.

“We do not normally comment on media reports. However, such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve,” he said.

“Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties,” he said.

Jaiswal was responding to media queries regarding the report in Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.

In the report, the newspaper cited inputs from a senior national security official.

The report claimed the Indian national security advisor and the external affairs minister were also in the loop of the plot.

Nijjar was gunned down on Canadian soil last year.

India-Canada ties nosedived last month after Canada linked Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and some other diplomats to the murder.

India has strongly rejected all the allegations made by Ottawa in connection to the case and subsequently recalled the high commissioner. The Canadian government had said the Indian diplomats were expelled from the country.

New Delhi expelled Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats following Canada’s allegations.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and US NSA Jake Sullivan during a meeting, in New Delhi, Monday, June 17, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Amidst tension between India and the U.S. over the alleged targeting of Sikh separatists by India, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke over the phone with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval during which they discussed regional security developments, bilateral issues including defence cooperation.

The two leaders also discussed the need for further efforts to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region and globally, the White House said on Wednesday (October 31, 2024) in a readout of the call.

“They welcomed progress in the bilateral partnership, including through the upcoming Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) Intersessional and Indian Ocean Dialogue. They also discussed further opportunities for closer collaboration in key domains, including clean energy supply chains and defence cooperation, it said.

The two leaders spoke over the phone on Wednesday.

“They also discussed further opportunities for closer collaboration in key domains, including clean energy supply chains and defence cooperation,” said the White House.

Early this week, the U.S. had said that Canada’s allegations against Union Home Minister Amit Shah are “concerning”.

“The allegations made by the government of Canada are concerning, and we will continue to consult with the Canadian government about those allegations,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Thursday.

Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison had “confirmed” a leaked Washington Post report alleging that Mr. Shah was behind a campaign to target Khalistani separatists in Canada.

In response to a question Mr. Morrison said he had “confirmed” Mr. Shah’s name to The Washington Post.

“The journalist called me and asked if it was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” he said.

The United States also said that it welcomes any reduction in tension along the India-China border and noted that it has been briefed by New Delhi on this.

“We are closely following the developments [between India and China]. We understand that both countries have taken initial steps to withdraw troops from friction points along the Line of Actual Control. We welcome any reduction in tensions along the border,” Mr. Miller said.

Responding to a question, Mr. Miller said that the U.S. has played no role in this. “We have talked to our Indian partners and been briefed on it, but we did not play any role in this resolution,” Mr. Miller said.