Canada accused India's Home Minister Amit Shah of involvement in the plots to harass Sikh separatists in the country, a move that will further sour the diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison on Tuesday told a parliamentary panel that he named Mr Shah in an interview with US-based Washington Post newspaper. The newspaper had claimed that a “senior official in India” had “authorised the intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists” in Canada.
“The journalist called me and asked me if it was that person [Mr Shah]. I confirmed it was,” Mr Morrison said, without providing further details or evidence.
The Indian government has not responded to the allegations or The National’s requests for a comment.
Mr Shah is a decades-long confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is considered a powerful political figure. He has been India's Home Minister since 2019.
While home minister of Gujurat state under then chief minister Mr Modi, Mr Shah was accused of ordering the extrajudicial killing of gangsters and jailed in 2010. He was exonerated in the courts on all cases in December 2014.
Canada has accused New Delhi in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia, who was shot dead by two men outside a Sikh temple in a suburb of Vancouver in 2023.
Mr Nijjar allegedly led the Khalistan Tiger Force, a group that seeks the creation of a Sikh homeland called Khalistan in the Punjab region. He was designated a terrorist by Indian authorities in 2020.
Nathalie Drouin, the national security adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, also acknowledged that she had leaked details in this case to the paper. Testifying before the Commons public safety committee, Ms Drouin said she did not need Mr Trudeau’s authorisation to share the information, adding that it is not classified intelligence.
Mr Trudeau last year told the Canadian Parliament that Indian agents were involved in the killing but during a public inquiry this month he admitted that there was “no hard evidentiary proof”.
The Globe and Mail newspaper in Canada reported that Mr Shah was also connected to the killing of Sikh activist Sukhdool Singh Gill, who was shot in Winnipeg in September last year.
New Delhi has rejected the claims and accused Mr Trudeau of making wild accusations without any evidence and of damaging the two countries' ties.
Canada has the largest overseas community of Indian origin, with a population of 1.4 million. It has the highest number of Sikhs outside Punjab with about 770,000.
Mr Nijjar’s killing sparked a growing diplomatic rift, with the countries expelling each other’s diplomats after a Canadian announcement that Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma was a “person of interest” in the case this month.
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2a)
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Non-oil%20trade
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
