New Delhi:

The Indian High Commissioner to Canada who was targeted by Justin Trudeau and has since been recalled by New Delhi reiterated today that “not a shred of evidence was shared” with him by the Canadian authorities who labelled him and five other diplomats as ‘persons of interest’ in the murder investigation of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV in his first interview since his return to India, Mr Verma said that it was in fact India which had shared detailed evidence of radical and extremist groups operating on Canadian soil with the Justin Trudeau government, but “no action was taken on it” by either the government or the authorities.

“Besides the evidence shared with Canada, New Delhi, through its High Commission, also repeatedly sent extradition requests for 26 radical elements and gangsters, but nothing was done about it by the,” he said, adding that it is purely “double standards” by Canada, that “one law applies to you and another law applies to me, that doesn’t work in the world anymore. In the past countries of the Global South would do as was told to them by the developed nations, but gone are those days,” he said.

OUT OF THE BLUE

He revealed that in his last meeting with the Canadian authorities, it came as a surprise to him when he was informed by them that he and five other colleagues were now labelled “persons of interest” in the murder investigation and that they should “ask the Indian government to remove their diplomatic immunity”.

“Throughout my tenure (as High Commissioner of Canada), my relations with all the ministries and with interlocutors were very cordial, But on October 12, all of a sudden, in a meeting with Canadian foreign ministry, I was informed that six of us were being linked to the murder investigation and for them to interrogate us, our diplomatic immunity has to be removed.”

“Now that was going too far,” he told NDTV, adding that he communicated this to New Delhi, which then decided to recall him and the other diplomats.

‘DECLARED PERSONA NON GRATA’

“When the Government of India withdrew us, they (Canadian government) decided to label us as ‘persona non grata’ and be sent packing within a given timeline.”

This is the first time in India’s diplomatic history that any foreign ministry official or representative has been labeled a persona non grata, which means a person who is no longer welcomed, and in diplomacy, if the person concerned is not recalled by the home country as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplomatic mission – meaning their immunity ends.

Canada is considered a friendly country to India, but “Even in the case of Pakistan, where we have had known differences for decades, the last high commissioner to be recalled by New Delhi, my predecessor in Canada, Mr Ajay Bisaria, he remained a high commissioner who was called back and remained the then High Commissioner of Pakistan, even though he stopped residing in Pakistan.”

‘TRUDEAU’S CLAIMS WON’T STAND IN COURT’

“Not a shred of evidence has been shared with us (India). If they are calling intelligence inputs or source-based claims as ‘evidence’, then that will not stand in a court of law – not in their country, nor in ours,” Mr Verma said.

What the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP said, and something that Trudeau said as well during his deposition to the court of inquiry on foreign interference, was that they do not have any proof or evidence, but rather intelligence inputs from sources – which is just hearsay.

“That is quite funny,” said Mr Verma, adding that “what they have done is actually quite serious. As far as I understand most of the things they are calling evidence is just hearsay and source-based claims, and let’s not forget that there are many India baiters there who are ready to give false statements against India or Indians, which could then be considered single sourced information.”

COLLECTING INFORMATION – JOB OF A DIPLOMAT

Collecting information is a key part of a diplomats job. Explaining this, Mr Verma said, “Let me break this down for you. There are two ways in which information is collected by a diplomat – an overt way, which is through the open source, and a covert way. I can confirm to you here that yes, we depended on the information we got through open sources – the overt way.”

“We collect information about banned organisations, radicals, extremists, etc from what is available through the news, through social media. So we did that, and we did the analysis based on the credible information we collected,” he explained.

“And the trend seen in the analysis we made was very clear. They want to sabotage and destroy Canada India relations. They want India’s image to be maligned internationally.

‘JUSTIN TRUDEAU PERSONALLY INVOLVED’

“One thing is quite openly seen and known – that Mr Trudeau himself is known to be very close to the Khalistani extremists and terrorists, especially politically. Through his close circles, both in his cabinet and in the Canadian Parliament, some of his close friends are not quite inclined towards good Canada-India relations,” Mr Verma said.

“I do not want to comment on the domestic politics in Canada, but what I have seen, heard and read in the media, is that his party is not doing well. The opinion polls are not in his favour, and most of all, Mr Trudeau’s leadership is threatened even within party,” Mr Verma added.

‘KHALISTAN EXTREMISM A BUSINESS’

Explaining the way the Khalistan separatism works, Mr Verma said that “It is a business, because the money collected by these extremists and radicals through extortion and other illegal means, they use it in a continuous effort to destabilaze India and at the same time fund their personal, lavish lifestyles.”

“So, if I am trying to give evidence of their illegal activities and try to shut down their business, then I become a subject of their target. And that is precisely what was seen when they openly threatened and targeted Indian diplomats in Canada,” Mr Verma highlighted.

He went on to say that it is not just diplomats, “Our prime minister and home minister have been threatened, diplomats targeted. Some other examples are that effigies of Indian diplomats, including myself were burnt as Ravana, Cut outs of my face was made the target for shooting practice, and several other instances.”

“You will not see such things happen so openly,” and with support from the government “in any civil society,” he said.

The diplomat further said that “When you show a bullet-ridden effigy of a former prime minister of the largest democracy, one that is your ally, with the images of her assassination and you cheer it openly then it is hate speech, not free speech.”
 

Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma. Photo: www.hciottawa.gov.in

Amidst the diplomatic strain in India-Canada relations, India’s envoy here has warned that the Sikh separatist groups in Canada were crossing “a big red line” that New Delhi sees as a matter of national security and of the country’s territorial integrity.

Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma said this on May 7 in his first public remarks since three Indian nationals accused of killing Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year were arrested and produced before a court by Canadian police.

Mr. Verma seemed to link the case to domestic crime, CTV News reported.

He also warned that Sikh groups in Canada who call for the separation of their homeland from India are crossing “a big red line” that New Delhi sees as a matter of national security.

“Indians will decide the fate of India, not the foreigners,” Mr. Verma told the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent think-tank.

He also told the Council that relations between India and Canada are positive overall despite “a lot of noise”.

Mr. Verma also said that the two countries are “trying to resolve this issue”. “We are ready to sit down at the table any day, and we are doing that,” he said.

Mr. Verma said the deeper problems underneath the recent “negative” developments have to do with Canada’s misunderstanding of “decades-old issues,” which he blames Canadians of Indian origin for resurfacing.

He said his chief concern is “national-security threats emanating from the land of Canada”, noting that India does not recognise dual nationality, so anyone who emigrates is considered a foreigner.

“Foreigners having, if I can call it, [an] evil eye on the territorial integrity of India — that is a big red line for us,” he said.

He did not specify whether he was referring to foreigners being involved in the Nijjar case or the issue of Sikh separatism more broadly, the report said.

On May 7, India told Canada that celebration and glorification of violence should not be a part of any civilised society. Democratic countries which respect the rule of law should not allow intimidation by radical elements in the name of freedom of expression.

“We continue to remain concerned about the security of our diplomatic representatives in Canada and expect the Government of Canada to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement in response to the violent imagery being used by extremist elements in Canada against India’s political leadership.

“We again call upon the Government of Canada to stop providing criminal and secessionist elements a safe haven and political space in Canada,” the MEA spokesperson said in New Delhi.

Earlier on May 7, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stood by allegations that the Indian government was complicit in the slaying of Nijjar last year.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.

The killing sparked a wave of protests, with some Sikh groups circulating posters that threatened Indian diplomats in Canada by name.

Ms. Joly said her goal is still to conduct diplomacy with India in private.

She said she would let the police investigate instead of providing any new commentary on the case.

“We stand by the allegations that a Canadian was killed on Canadian soil by Indian agents,” Ms. Joly said on Parliament Hill.

“The investigation by the RCMP is being done. I won’t further comment and no other officials from our government will further comment,” she said, referring to the ongoing probe by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Meanwhile, Mr. Verma also mentioned “so many positive things” happening in the relationship between India and Canada.

He noted the annual value of two-way trade is 26 billion Canadian dollars, and in the past 11 months, there has been a 75% jump in Canadian lentil exports and a 21% increase in Indian-prepared medicines reaching Canada.

On May 7, the group Sikhs for Justice called for Mr. Verma’s speech to be cancelled, citing the Nijjar case and allegations of foreign interference by India.