Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar Criticizes Canadian Government’s Allegations Against India
In New Delhi, former diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar has accused the Canadian government of using allegations against India for domestic political purposes. This follows Canada’s admission of leaking details about India’s foreign interference to The Washington Post. Sajjanhar criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not providing evidence to support claims of India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Sajjanhar noted that since Trudeau’s statement in the Canadian Parliament on September 18, 2023, no evidence has been presented. He argued that the Trudeau administration’s actions seem politically motivated, aiming to maintain support from the New Democratic Party (NDP) and its leader Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal, who has ties to the Khalistani separatist movement.
Sajjanhar emphasized that if Canada genuinely wanted to investigate, it would have taken a diplomatic approach, similar to the US’s engagement with India. Instead, he suggested that Trudeau’s government is more interested in maligning India for political survival.
He criticized Trudeau for sharing “half-cooked” information with international media rather than engaging directly with Indian officials. Canadian officials reportedly admitted to leaking sensitive information to The Washington Post, which was not shared with the Canadian public.
Earlier, India recalled six diplomats from Canada after they were declared “persons of interest” in the investigation into Nijjar’s killing. India has denied the allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated,” and accused Canada of harboring extremist elements.
Doubts Revealed
Diplomat -: A diplomat is a person who represents their country in another country. They work to maintain good relationships between the two countries.
Ashok Sajjanhar -: Ashok Sajjanhar is a former Indian diplomat who has worked in various countries to represent India and its interests.
Canadian Government -: The Canadian Government is the group of people who make decisions for Canada, similar to how the Indian Government makes decisions for India.
Allegations -: Allegations are claims or accusations that someone has done something wrong, but they are not proven yet.
Justin Trudeau -: Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister of Canada, which means he is the leader of the Canadian Government.
Khalistani terrorist -: A Khalistani terrorist is someone who supports the idea of creating a separate country for Sikhs, called Khalistan, and uses violence to try to achieve this goal.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar -: Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a person who was accused of being involved in terrorist activities related to the Khalistan movement.
New Democratic Party -: The New Democratic Party is a political party in Canada that has different ideas and policies compared to other parties, like the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau.
Diplomatic approach -: A diplomatic approach means solving problems through discussion and negotiation rather than using force or making accusations.