Ottawa [Canada], February 26 (ANI): In a significant shift in its position, the Canadian federal government has said that it now believes India is no longer linked to violent crimes in Canada. A senior official said this during a media briefing ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's upcoming visit to India, the Toronto Star has reported.

The statement came during a briefing with journalists ahead of Carney's trip, with senior government officials, cited by Canadian English daily Toronto Star.

'We have a very robust diplomatic engagement, including between national security advisers, and I think we can say we're confident that that activity is not continuing,' one of the senior officials, who did not want to be named, said on Wednesday.

According to the report, the statement suggests that Canadian authorities do not see ongoing foreign interference or violent activity tied to India at present.

The remarks come as Carney prepares for a nine-day trip that includes stops in Mumbai and New Delhi, where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit is being framed as part of Ottawa's effort to pursue a more 'pragmatic' foreign policy and deepen economic ties with India, the world's most populous country.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply after the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurudwara in British Columbia. Months later, then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was 'credible' evidence linking agents of the India government to Nijjar's death, an allegation New Delhi strongly denied.

The dispute led to the expulsion of diplomats from both countries and a prolonged diplomatic standoff. In 2024, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) further claimed that Indian government agents were linked to violent crime in Canada, including death threats and alleged involvement in homicides.

However, officials briefing reporters this week suggested that previous concerns about active foreign interference or repression linked to India are no longer ongoing.

'I really don't think we'd be taking this trip if we thought these kinds of activities were continuing,' a senior government official said.

The new assessment has drawn criticism from some Sikh activists. Moninder Singh, a religious leader in British Columbia, told the Star that Vancouver police recently warned him of an imminent threat to his life and that of his family. It was the fourth such warning he has received since Nijjar's killing, the Toronto Star reported.

Protests were also held on Parliament Hill by members of Sikhs for Justice, the group with which Nijjar was associated. Demonstrators condemned the government's renewed engagement with India and reiterated their advocacy for Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh state.

Former national security adviser Jody Thomas said that while Canada's intelligence was sufficient to assign accountability, the legal process differs from that of the United States, where allegations can be publicly detailed before trial. She maintained that security concerns remain 'a live issue' requiring resolution.

The Carney government has emphasised that strengthening trade and people-to-people ties with India can proceed alongside law enforcement cooperation. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu noted that both countries recently agreed to appoint liaison officers to enhance collaboration on criminal investigations, the Toronto Star reported.

The diplomatic reset comes amid broader geopolitical recalibration, as Ottawa seeks to diversify trade relationships and reduce economic dependence on the United States.

India's High Commissioner to Ottawa, Dinesh Patnaik, told the Star that disagreements should be handled through dialogue rather than by damaging the overall relationship, suggesting that Canada had overreacted when the allegations first emerged.

Earlier on Tuesday, speaking to ANI ahead of Carney's visit to India and other Indo-Pacific allies, Patnaik said that the recent discussions between the two countries' National Security Advisors, during NSA Ajit Doval's visit to Ottawa, marked a significant step forward in strengthening bilateral security ties.

'This was discussed recently when NSA Ajit Doval visited Canada, and he had very extensive discussions with his counterpart, NSA Nathalie Drouin, as well as the Minister for Public Safety. And I think what they have put together is a wonderful action plan to take forward the security cooperation between both sides to address all issues--whether it's fentanyl smuggling, whether it is transnational organised crime, violent extremism, illegal immigration fraud, cybercrime, or cybersecurity,' the Indian High Commissioner said.

'We are looking at cooperation in all sectors. Both sides have understood that if we have to make Canada safe and India safe, we need to discuss and talk about all the issues, have liaison officers with each other, and have cooperation which is on time and online,' he added.

While tensions persist among segments of Canada's Sikh community, officials in Ottawa argue that improved security cooperation and sustained diplomatic engagement have created conditions for a cautious reset in bilateral ties.

The visit is expected to test whether the two countries can move beyond a fraught chapter in their relationship while balancing domestic political sensitivities and ongoing investigations. (ANI)