Justin Trudeau made sure ties with India go downward: Outgoing Indian envoy

In an interview with Canada's private broadcaster CTV, Sanjay Kumar Verma, the outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Ottawa, said Justin Trudeau has made sure that the bilateral relations with India "only go downwards, spiralling down".

In Short

• Sanjay Kumar Verma criticises lack of evidence sharing by Canada
• He says Trudeau's actions caused India-Canada relations to spiral downwards
• Trudeau alleged Indian agents' involvement in Khalistani terrorist Nijjar's killing

Sanjay Kumar Verma, the outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Canada, has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of ruining the bilateral ties between the two countries for political gains.

India recalled Verma and some other diplomats from Canada after Ottawa named him a 'person of interest' in its investigation into Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing.

In an interview with Canada's private broadcaster CTV, Sanjay Verma said, "Canada didn't follow the practice which should have been there. Evidence should have been shared first, but someone (Trudeau) decided to stand in Parliament and talk about a thing for which he himself has said there was no hard evidence."

"And the day on which he did that, since then, he has made sure that the bilateral relations with India only go downwards, spiralling down," he added.

Sanjay Verma was referring to Justin Trudeau's address in the Canadian Parliament in September last year when he alleged involvement of Indian government's agents in the killing of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.

Despite making him a 'person of interest' in the Nijjar murder case, Canada didn't provide any evidence to India, something which Trudeau admitted in the the foreign interference inquiry on October 16.

"The problem is that when he accused, he himself admitted there was no hard evidence. There was intelligence. On the basis of intelligence, if you want to destroy a relationship, be my guest," Verma said.

Sanjay Verma said that the evidence being cited by Canada is hearsay. "I know, for sure, that they go from one person to the other, asking them about the hearsay. Most of them are those who are pro-Khalistan elements, anti-India elements," he said.

Verma also highlighted Western hypocrisy, saying "gone are the days when the so-called developed countries would ask a developing country that you must do this, and they will run after them and do it".

"We are a rule of law country, as Canada prides itself on being a rule of law country. So, won't you give me evidence which is suitable for my own legal process?" he asked.

Sanjay Verma said he and his colleagues were monitoring pro-Khalistan and anti-India elements in Canada, but not using any covert means.

"If the Canadian politicians are so novice that they want me not to know what my enemies are doing here, then I'm sorry, they don't know what international relations is all about," Verma said.

"I know the countries which have done it (extrajudicial killings on foreign territory). And some of them are G7 countries, by the way. So let's not talk about it. There should not be double standards," he added.

Verma explained how his mission went about information collection in Canada.

"We read the newspapers, we read their (pro-Khalistan groups) statements. Since we understand Punjabi, we read their social media posts and tried to infer them," he said.

Sanjay Verma emphasised that India, being the largest democracy in the world, is committed not to do extrajudicial killings on any territory.