On 14th October, the Canadian government, followed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), levelled serious but baseless allegations against India, claiming that Indian agents, officials, and high-ranking Indian diplomats, including the then High Commissioner of India to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, were involved in “criminal activities” on Canadian soil. They claimed that India used a criminal syndicate operating in Canada to target Khalistani terrorists, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June 2023.
Within hours of the allegations made by Canadian authorities, the Washington Post came up with a detailed report on it. In fact, the report went a step further and named Home Minister Amit Shah as one of the conspirators in illegal criminal activities on Canadian soil. Recently, it came to light that the Canadian government sources WaPo quoted in its damning report were Canada’s National Security Adviser, Nathalie Drouin, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Morrison.
One of the questions that arise is how the WaPo report written by Greg Miller and Gerry Shih had so much detail and quotes from Canadian government officials within hours of the allegations made against India. Furthermore, it is also suspicious how WaPo came up with the name of the Home Minister of India, Amit Shah, as one of the persons involved in criminal activities.
A 22nd October report by The Globe and Mail revealed that the information WaPo published in its report was briefed to them days before Canadian authorities and the RCMP made the allegations public. WaPo was simply sitting on a prepared report, waiting for the RCMP to hold a press conference so they could publish it.
The allegations, spearheaded by WaPo in collaboration with the Canadian government in a systematic and well-planned manner, have been shown to lack substantial evidence. They have exposed a deeply troubling case of media manipulation, as the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, himself admitted that the allegations were made against India without any concrete evidence. The narrative was aggressively pushed by Trudeau’s team even before Canada’s own security agencies, like the RCMP, had held a press conference to officially share their findings.
Since the RCMP and Canadian government dropped a bombshell against India, they have once again failed to hand over the “substantial evidence” mentioned in their briefing, while telling the world that “India is involved in criminal activities on Canadian soil”. The narrative which WaPo attempted to create with the support of Canadian authorities has impacted high-ranking Indian officials like HM Shah, Indian diplomats, including Verma, who were called back (later Canada expelled six, including Verma), and the Indian spy agency RAW.
Planted stories, no evidence, and a scandalous timeline
The allegations against India stemmed from claims supposedly based on intercepted communications. A picture has been painted against India, claiming that Indian agents and officials were deeply involved in Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder and other targeted killings and attacks on Khalistani elements in Canada.
However, it has been recently uncovered that these accusations were, in fact, fed to WaPo directly by the Canadian NSA long before any official findings or proof were established in the public domain. This revelation raises serious questions about WaPo’s journalistic integrity and its willingness to act as a mouthpiece for a government desperate to divert attention from its own failures.
Despite WaPo insinuating that it had obtained cloak-and-dagger input from Canadian sources, in reality, Trudeau’s NSA was tasked with planting the story. It clearly shows how WaPo was complicit in the manipulation of the narrative, as all the Indian and international media used WaPo’s report to name HM Shah as one of the conspirators in criminal activities on Canadian soil.
Trusting just one source, that is, the Canadian government, was not the way things could have been manipulated the way they were. Using an internationally renowned media house for this work was the perfect way to target India, and Canada did just that. Adding to the farce, Trudeau later admitted that at the time of making these serious allegations, there was no “hard proof” to substantiate them. This admission not only undermines Trudeau’s government but also casts a long shadow over WaPo’s role in sensationalising these unfounded claims.
Indian diplomats and HM Amit Shah under attack
The most alarming aspect of this saga is the deliberate targeting of Indian officials, with Home Minister Amit Shah being dragged into the fray. Canada has spun a narrative, echoed by WaPo, suggesting that HM Shah had direct oversight of the illegal operations. The narrative was created despite the complete lack of any concrete evidence. In fact, the allegations seem to be an attempt to deliberately smear HM Shah’s image on an international platform and cast doubt over India’s diplomatic corps.
Home Minister Amit Shah does not oversee foreign operations. He is responsible for internal affairs. HM Shah has been strict towards the rise of Khalistani elements in India, as central agencies under him got involved in action against Khalistani preacher-turned-politician Amritpal Singh, led by the Punjab government. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Home Ministry is looking into incidents of attacks on Indian diplomats on foreign soil by Khalistani elements.
The smear campaign against HM Shah is a way for the Canadian government to woo Khalistani voters for the upcoming General Elections scheduled for October 2025. The Trudeau administration has been actively working to keep Khalistani elements on their side, and in doing so, they have completely ignored and wasted perfectly good diplomatic relations with India. Trudeau meddled in India’s affairs repeatedly, despite India’s strong objections, and continued to provide a safe haven for criminals wanted by India.
It is becoming clearer that the Indian diplomats stationed in Canada have been implicated in this fabricated scandal, which has further escalated tensions between the two nations. These accusations were built on the flimsiest of premises and revealed a strategy by Trudeau to pressure India diplomatically, attempting to use the global media to isolate Indian officials on the international stage. The complicity of WaPo in this narrative, by running with these claims without proper verification, has only deepened the rift between India and Canada.
WaPo’s fall from journalistic grace
It is particularly damning how WaPo journalists Greg Miller and Gerry Shih ran with these serious allegations against India, despite the complete absence of hard proof. The fact is, Trudeau’s own government is unclear on the allegations and has repeatedly failed to provide any concrete evidence to Indian officials to make the allegations sustainable.
The article by Miller and Shih cited anonymous Canadian officials to create an illusion of a well-researched investigation. However, in reality, it was nothing more than planted disinformation from Trudeau’s office. In a way, WaPo was “honey-trapped” by Trudeau into publishing the report. However, this does not mean WaPo is innocent. The media house has been running smear campaigns against India for a long time, and this “juicy” story was something they could not miss, despite knowing that it would put a blot on their already deteriorating reputation.
The actions of WaPo reveal a disturbing trend of Western media acting as a tool for political propaganda. WaPo deliberately framed the allegations as though they had obtained credible intelligence from sources on the ground, yet the information was little more than fabricated nonsense designed to serve a political agenda. The media outlet essentially ran a Canadian government operation disguised as independent journalism.
A smokescreen for Trudeau’s failures
The entire saga can be seen as a desperate attempt by Trudeau to boost his faltering image ahead of the Canadian elections. He targeted India, a rising global power, and cast blame for Nijjar’s murder on Indian officials. He might have hoped to distract people from his domestic failings.
Not to forget, Nijjar entered Canada using a false name and fake documents. When he was rejected for asylum, he married a Canadian woman to gain Permanent Residency but failed. Between 1997 and 2015, Nijjar continuously tried to obtain Canadian citizenship but failed because of his problematic past. However, Canada did not extradite or deport him.
Nijjar went to Pakistan, met Khalistani terrorists, ran camps to teach how to use guns, and supported Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in his so-called Referendum to get Khalistan carved out of India. Indian agencies even provided proof that he was linked to the Khalistani terrorist outfit Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). He was a “shining star” in the eyes of pro-Khalistani elements and thus became one in the eyes of Trudeau’s administration as well. Nijjar was on Canada’s no-fly list and later on the US’s no-fly list as well. All these pieces of evidence of his involvement in terrorist activities against India were not enough for Canada to extradite him.
On the contrary, Canada allowed a man with known criminal ties to operate so freely on its soil and later, after his death, used him to gain the confidence of Khalistani elements. For what? Just for some votes.
Rather than addressing critical issues such as Chinese interference in Canadian politics, Trudeau’s government seems intent on scapegoating India. This misdirection, aided by WaPo, reflects poorly on both the Canadian leadership and the media outlet, which has been complicit in pushing a false narrative.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang – A minor footnote in the scandal
While much attention was placed on India’s alleged involvement, the Canadian government also referenced the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as potential perpetrators of the assassination. However, the focus on this gang appears to be a weak attempt to add credibility to their otherwise baseless accusations against India. While the gang’s involvement remains highly doubtful, it is obvious that the primary goal was to target India diplomatically and deflect from Trudeau’s own failings.
Conclusion
This Trudeau-WaPo saga reveals how political motives can taint media integrity. The Washington Post is generally seen as a bastion of independent journalism. However, it has done no good to its image by publishing reports aimed at forming a narrative against a government, in this case, the Indian government. As India continues to demand credible evidence for its alleged involvement, Canada’s silence speaks volumes.
What should have been a serious diplomatic dialogue has instead devolved into a media circus, orchestrated by a failing Canadian leadership and an increasingly untrustworthy media outlet. Trudeau is facing a lot of pressure at home. He is trying to distract the public from domestic failures with wild allegations against India.
Meanwhile, media houses like WaPo are standing in line to have a cut in the fruit of such baseless, senseless, and false narratives. Scandals and conspiracies sell like hotcakes in today’s time, and WaPo has proved that it can go to any extent to make itself look “journalistically superior” in the eyes of the world.
