Accused of RAW, IB links, Indian scribe in Canada gets another chance to clear his name

An unnamed editor-in-chief of an Indian newspaper who was denied permanent resident (PR) status in Canada on grounds that he was associated with Indian intelligence agencies has been offered another opportunity to clear his name. A Canadian court said the decision by the immigration authorities was procedurally unfair and based on incomplete or unreliable evidence. In a damning indictment of the official, it said procedural fairness was at “the low end of the spectrum” while terming his dismissal of the editor’s testimony as unreasonable. The Canadian media has highlighted the case in an obvious effort to hit back at the Indian government which has accused Ottawa of being soft on Khalistani separatists settled there. Canadian Prime Minister’s week-long visit to India in 2018 turned out to be lonely sojourn as he was given a cold shoulder by South Block for his government’s perceived soft corner for the separatists. This is despite the fact that the court has pulled up Canadian officials for this unfounded allegation and given AB another chance to apply for PR status. It all started five years back when the Canadian secret service prepared an assessment report on “AB” after which the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe his involvement in espionage against Canada. In a written response, AB vehemently denied any association with the Intelligence Bureau and RAW and said he had interacted with their officers to gather news. The Canadian secret service had also alleged that RAW had tasked him to meet officials from Belgium and Canada besides identifying Caucasian politicians to provide financial assistance and propaganda material. It was also alleged that he met IB and RAW handlers outside Canada at least once every two months.