Several former diplomats on Tuesday criticized Canada’s allegations linking Indian diplomats in Ottawa to an investigation into the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and said New Delhi took “the right step in retaliation.” Former ambassadors also suggested that Ottawa’s “false propaganda” stemmed from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “desperation” to gain “support from radical elements” within his country to shore up his chances in the next election.

Already frosty relations between India and Canada took a massive nosedive on Monday after Ottawa linked the Indian high commissioner to an investigation into Nijjar’s killing. New Delhi rejected Ottawa’s allegations and responded strongly to the accusations, expelling six Canadian diplomats and recalling Canada’s high commissioner.

India has also criticized Canadian authorities’ attempts to link Indian agents to criminal gangs in Canada, with official sources even saying that Ottawa’s claim that it shared evidence with New Delhi in the Nijjar case was simply false.

Former diplomat and author Rajiv Dogra said Canada’s latest action comes as Trudeau’s rating has “dropped” and he is “likely to lose” the next election there.

“He (Trudeau) is finding ghosts where there are none. So he has now come up with new propaganda… in anticipation of gaining support from Sikh extremists,” he said.

Trudeau thinking about an “imaginary accusation is very unfortunate, very anti-state,” he said, adding that it is “not a wise way” to approach things. Asked if this would impact India’s position at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit scheduled in Islamabad on October 16, Dogra said: “It is not the case”. “Whether it is the SCO or any other forum, India has its own status and position, and senseless actions by Canada will have no impact on it,” he said. -he told PTI Videos here.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for the SCO meeting hosted by the neighboring country.

Asked about the impact of the diplomatic row between India and Canada on bilateral relations, Dogra said, “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has somehow become a misfortune for the Canadian people. And his rating has gone down, and the more it goes down, he gets agitated. and says false things. »

“This is not what I am saying, but what some of the media and politicians in Canada are saying,” he said.

And in that series, a “stupid thing” was done to the Indian high commissioner and many other envoys, the former diplomat said, and he asked whether Trudeau had thought about the implications.

“Won’t this false propaganda embolden extremist activities there?” he asked.

Dogra said Trudeau would not stay as prime minister much longer and was likely to “lose in the next election.”

Some former diplomats said the move would “hurt Canada” in the eyes of international opinion.

Former diplomat Dilip Sinha said India had taken the “most important step” in its response.

Diplomacy is based on “reciprocity” and if Canada decides to make “wild allegations and make life dangerous for Indian diplomats” in this country, then India must “retaliate”.

Sinha, a former ambassador to Greece, said India had already taken “the most significant step in retaliation against the extremely irresponsible act of the Canadian government in making wild allegations against the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats high-ranking Indians working in Canada.

He said India expelling Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats was a “reciprocal action.”

Sinha echoed Dogra and said Trudeau was “lagging behind in the opinion polls, so he thinks he’s going to lose.”

“He thinks he needs the support of radical Khalistani elements who have a very strong and powerful base in Canada,” Sinha said.

He is determined to sacrifice his relations with India to woo these elements, he charged.

When asked if Canada’s position as a G7 member would impact India, the former diplomat said: Canada is an important country in the bloc, but “other countries will not fall into the trap of Trudeau’s ploy”, even if Ottawa will try to obtain the support of others.

Brigadier Rahul Bhonsle (retd) told PTI Videos in Dehradun that Canada’s allegation is “quite absurd”.

Indian diplomats are well respected and very professional. They work to strengthen relations and never break them, he said, adding that the MEA rightly rejected Canada’s accusations.

There is no doubt that Trudeau is facing internal challenges and so he is trying to “win their support,” he said.

“This decision… is an act of desperation aimed at spoiling relations with India, for what reason I do not know, but it seems to be mainly a political reason… because his party is losing ground as the elections approach,” he added. he said.

Relations between the two countries were strained following Trudeau’s allegations in September last year that Indian agents were “potentially” involved in Nijjar’s assassination.

New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s accusations, calling them “absurd.”

India maintains that the main problem between the two countries is that Canada is giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from its soil with impunity.

Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 last year.