NEW DELHI: Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has said that criminal leaks led to media reports acusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being privy to the plot to kill Nijjar.
“We have seen unfortunately criminal leaking top secret information to the media. They have consistently got the stories wrong, that is why we have the national inquiry into foreign interference that has highlighted foreigners leaking information to media outlets which are unreliable on top of being criminal. In terms of the issue, my primary job as a leader is to keep Canadians safe. Making sure we are standing up for the rule of law,’’ said Trudeau in response to a query on the issue on Friday.
This statement comes a day after the Canadian government distanced itself from a media report which had named PM Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval as being aware of the conspiracy to kill Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Colombia in June last year.
“The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is aware of evidence linking Prime Minister, Modi, Minister Dr S Jaishankar or National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada. Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate,’’ a statement issued by the Canadian government said.
It may be recalled that India-Canada relations are at a diplomatic low since Trudeau raked up the issue of the Indian government being privy to killing of Nijjar during the G20 Summit in Delhi last year. Both India and Canada have only 15 diplomats present in each others countries and consular services have been adversely impacted.
