India rejected the claims and asserted its commitment to non-interference.
New Delhi:
Canada has accused India and Pakistan of interfering in its elections – an accusation clearly rejected by India. Canada's spy agency released an unclassified summary filed as part of a federal investigation investigating possible foreign interference that alleges secret activities by both India and Pakistan during the 2019 and 2021 general elections. India has called the investigation “baseless” and said it was Canada that interfered in its internal affairs.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) summary points to concerted efforts by India and Pakistan to influence the electoral process in Canada. However, India vehemently denies these allegations, dismissing them as baseless and focusing on Canada's interference in its internal affairs.
The CSIS documents allege that in 2021, the Indian government targeted certain constituencies believed to harbor Indian-origin voters sympathetic to the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan sentiment. The agency alleged that a government proxy may have attempted to influence democratic processes through illegal financial support to favored candidates, which may have been hidden from recipients.
Similarly, in 2019, Pakistan government officials allegedly engaged in clandestine activities aimed at advancing Pakistan's interests within Canada's political landscape.
While India denied the claims and asserted its commitment to non-interference in other countries' democratic processes, Canada's investigation into foreign interference has heightened tensions in already strained relations between the two countries.
Charges of foreign interference
According to a Bloomberg report, Canada announced in January its intention to investigate allegations of foreign interference in its national elections, with a particular focus on India.
“We have seen media reports about the Canadian Commission's investigation… We strongly reject any such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections,” State Department spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in February.
“It is not the policy of the Indian government to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. On the contrary, it is Canada that is interfering in our internal affairs,” he added.
The decision to launch a public inquiry came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched the process last year in response to leaked intelligence reports that China had tried to influence Canada's election by supporting candidates aligned with the regime of President Xi Jinping.
The appointed investigator has been tasked with investigating possible interference by various actors, including India, China, Russia and other governmental and non-governmental entities, during the 2019 and 2021 election cycles.
India–Canada relations
Mr. Trudeau's earlier allegations of India's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil have become a flashpoint in bilateral relations between the two nations.
Although India dismissed these allegations as absurd, the fallout had diplomatic repercussions, including the temporary suspension of visas for Canadians and a reduction in diplomatic presence.
In February, Canada's intelligence agency's designation of India as a “foreign threat” alongside China and Russia exacerbated the diplomatic divide.