India’s Recalled Envoy Sanjay Verma Highlights Khalistani Extremists in Trudeau’s Inner Circle.

In a revealing interview with India Today, Sanjay Verma, the recalled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, accused the Canadian government of shielding Khalistani extremists for domestic political gains. Verma claimed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s circle includes individuals with anti-India sentiments and sympathizers of the Khalistan movement.

“Justin Trudeau has a number of friends who are anti-Indian elements and Khalistani extremists. When he visited India in 2018, the presence of individuals like Jaspal Atwal, a Khalistani sympathizer, at official events illustrated the issue,” Verma said.

India-Canada relations have sharply deteriorated since Canada implicated Indian diplomats in the investigation into the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Verma emphasized that no credible evidence has been shared with India, asserting that India acted in accordance with the Vienna Convention, an international treaty governing diplomatic conduct. “We have not seen any hard evidence justifiable under legal frameworks,” he stated.

Verma further described the hostility faced by Indian diplomats, citing incidents of hooliganism outside Indian consulates and intimidation on social media. “There were continuous threats to us, and anyone could have been harmed,” he added. Although the Canadian government provided limited security to Verma and two consul generals, he noted that many other colleagues remained vulnerable.

Amid these tensions, India recently withdrew several diplomats from Canada and expelled six Canadian diplomats in response to what it deemed unwarranted actions by the Canadian government.