India-Canada Diplomatic Row: Just The Tip Of An Iceberg

Investigations by the multidisciplinary team created by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in February this year have placed a senior minister in the cross-hairs of the Canadian government, the Washington Post revealed on Monday.

In a report (Canada alleges much wider campaign by Modi government against Sikhs') that was published around the same time as the extraordinary disclosures which claimed the Indian missions in Canada orchestrated criminal activity targeting Canadians, the Post quoted senior unnamed Canadian officials as saying they were in possession of evidence that the minister, 8 member of the “inner circle” was involved in the events.

According to the Post, “Conversations and texts among Indian diplomats include references to "a senior official in India and a senior official in RAW" who have authorized the intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists.” And that “senior official” was identified by the Canadians as a senior minister”.

In a press conference on Thanksgiving Monday (2 holiday), convened to underline the Canadian intent and seriousness, the RMCP said, "We reached a point where we felt it was imperative to confront the government of India.”

The nearly eight-month investigation had revealed Indian hand behind intimidation, harassment, extortion and, among other things, homicides, for which at least eight persons have been arrested and charged; besides there were specific case of extortions, for which 22 persons have been charged. RMCP alleges that some of them have connections to the India government.

While the RMCP was very thin on evidence to back their claim, Washington Post quoted sources who said “We know they are involved in the Nijjar killing, in other murders and in ongoing violence — actual violence — in Canada.” The phrase Canadians bandied readily and often was “transnational repression”, accusing Government of India to be one of its most aggressive practitioners. Canadians offered up for consideration a chain in which “Indian diplomats in Canada collect intelligence on alleged Sikh separatists that is then used by RAW to identify targets for attacks carried out by a criminal syndicate led by Lawrence Bishnoi, whose organization, the officials said, has an extensive presence in Canada. His organization has previously asserted responsibility for violent attacks in Canada.”

Canada presented evidence in a five hour interaction with the National Security Adviser Ajith Doval on how India had enlisted Bishnoi’s gang networks in Canada to carry out the Nijjar killing and other attacks. Doval, in turn, initially “pretended not to have any idea who the guy was,” a Canadian official said. Later, however, Doval began rattling off “facts, figures and anecdotes” about Bishnoi, acknowledging that he “was capable of orchestrating violence from wherever he is incarcerated” and “was known to be up to no good from his jail cell.”

It is extra-ordinary how a national security advisor could so readily admit to such a possibility and which was within his full knowledge.

In a follow up press conference later in the day, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, his foreign Minister Melanie Jolie as well as the Public Affairs MinisterDominic LeBlanc stressed that the Canadian effort was to “disrupt and dismantle” India's “pattern of behaviour.” Melanie stressed that the targeted violence against Canadians “actually increased” since the Canadians had taken up the matter with India following the Nijjar killing. Trudeau, though he evaded answering a question as to how much backing he had from his allies, the “Five Eyes”, it is certain that the evidence which has been collated will end up in courts where the cases are arrayed in various stages. A large part of the evidence is no doubt provided by United States of America, with which Canada shares a common border and a whole lot of intelligence. The rest of the Five Eyes, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, have helped fatten the Canadian dossier and are in the loop on this move, if Trudeau and his cabinet colleagues are to be believed. Going by reports that our intelligence assets have been greatly denuded ever since the West has applied pressure to remove agents both from North America and some countries in Europe as well as in Australia over similar accusations, it is likely that some disruption and dismantling has already happened. What remains?

The question also arises how the Canadians have enmeshed a Minister's name in a matter of foreign intelligence activities, pertaining more to the domain of the R&AW. The investigation in Canada is a criminal matter, not a civil matter, like the one in the New York where summons have been issued to NSA Ajit Doval on the Gurpatwant Singh killing attempt in the neighbouring country. If the investigations proceed apace then sooner or later a red corner notice could be generated by the Interpol on those wanted by Canadian lawmakers. While it is unclear how long, or how keenly the Canadians will pursue the matter, it is clear that it would be a matter of some embarrassment if the senior minister is not able to travel abroad at a later date.

The investigations by New Delhi into similar allegations relating to Pannun have not yet turned a decisive corner. The operations outlined by the Americans and human resources that India is alleged to have used for both sides of the border is bound to overlap,