US Calls Canada’s Allegations Against Amit Shah ‘Concerning’

The US on Wednesday expressed concerns over Canada's allegations against Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said that it will continue to consult Ottawa on the issue.

"The allegations made by the government of Canada are concerning, and we will continue to consult with the Canadian government about those allegations," PTI quoted State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller as telling reporters.

Canada's National Security and Intelligence Adviser Nathalie Drouin and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison, speaking to the national security committee of the Canadian Parliament, confirmed reports from the Washington Post that implicated the Indian Union Minister in a campaign targeting Khalistani separatists in Canada. Morrison stated he had verified Shah's involvement to the Post, though he did not disclose how Canada had obtained this information.

During a committee meeting, Drouin clarified she didn't need Prime Minister Trudeau's authorization to share information with the U.S. publication, explaining that the leak was part of a communications strategy developed to ensure Canada's perspective was communicated amid the ongoing foreign interference dispute with India. She maintained that only non-classified information was shared.

In October, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme alleged that India was involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Four Indian nationals living in Canada have been charged in connection with Nijjar's murder outside a Sikh temple, and eight others face murder charges or extortion related to the incident.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had stated earlier that Canada possessed credible evidence of Indian government agents' involvement in Nijjar's death. Despite Canada's repeated claims of sharing evidence with Indian officials, India has dismissed these allegations as baseless.

Further complicating matters, the US Justice Department filed charges in mid-October against an Indian government employee linked to an alleged foiled plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York. Vikash Yadav, identified as directing the New York plot from India, faces murder-for-hire charges related to a planned killing that, prosecutors say, was intended to precede further politically motivated assassinations in both the U.S. and Canada.