Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison has testified that he was the one who "confirmed" to the Washington Post the name of Home Minister Amit Shah for a report that suggested the BJP leader was involved in the intelligence-gathering operations against Canadians.
"The journalist called me and asked if it was that person. I confirmed it was that person," Morrison told the committee during the hearing about allegations that the government shared classified information with the Washington Post. He did not provide further details or evidence.
The report, quoting unnamed sources, had alleged that Shah was one of the senior officials who authorised intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists in Canada. The Home Ministry did not immediately respond but has dismissed Canada's prior accusations as baseless.
However, before the committee hearing, Canada had never named or mentioned Shah, sticking to the stance that the "plot could be traced back to the "highest levels of the Indian government."
Meanwhile, Sikhs for Justice, the U.S.-based secessionist group advocating for the creation of Khalistan, has jumped in with a statement against Shah. The group's legal counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has released a statement calling for Amit Shah to be prosecuted.
"Amit Shah has weaponized India's security agencies to hunt down and eliminate pro-Khalistan activists, even beyond India's orders," Pannun said, adding that the killing of Sikh extremist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil was not just an isolated crime but part of a well-thought-out policy executed under Shah's directives.
Pannun, who occasionally makes unsubstantiated statements, had earlier claimed that India's consulates in the U.S. and Canada were running a "spy network". He had also claimed that he was in close contact with Canadian officials to give proof against India but neither him nor the Canadian officials have ever revealed what the evidence was.
Earlier in the day,Nathalie Drouin, the prime minister’s national security adviser, confessed to the committee that leaked 'intel on India' to a US newspaper to ensure 'their side of the story was heard'
"We made a strategic decision to engage a respected international news outlet that had already published on the subject to ensure the record was straight and that our side of the story would be widely heard," Drouin told the panel.