Pakistan 'Attempted' To Meddle In 'Canadian Politics' to Counter India's Growing Influence, Says Report

The Pakistani government attempted to interfere in Canada’s federal elections to counter India’s growing global influence, the country’s spy agency said in documents made public on Thursday night.

In 2019, “Government of Pakistan officials in Canada attempted to clandestinely influence Canadian federal politics with the aim of furthering the Government of Pakistan’s interests in Canada,” according to an unclassified summary written by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), documents presented as part of an inquiry into foreign interference contain stark assessments. The inquiry is probing meddling in the federal elections of 2019 and 2021. Notes in the reports caution about uncorroborated, single-sourced, or incomplete summaries. CSIS Director David Vigneault stressed that intelligence may not always be factual and might need further investigation.

The Pak government’s foreign interference against Canada was “primarily to promote political, security and economic stability in Pakistan and to counter India’s growing global influence,” read one CSIS assessment. In 2019, CSIS said the Canadian government conducted a “threat reduction measure” ahead of the vote to “reduce the foreign interference threat posed by the Government of Pakistan.” “The situation was monitored and assessed to have effectively reduced the threat of interference,” CSIS wrote.

Canada’s spy agency in the past also named other countries including China, Russia, and India in the election meddling probe. But New Delhi has strongly rejected such claims. “We have seen media reports (of) Canadian commission inquiring into foreign interferences. We strongly reject such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections, it is not the government of India’s policy to interfere in the democratic process of other countries,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a regular press briefing in February.

Jaiswal said it was Canada that interfered in India’s internal affairs. “In fact, quite the reverse, it is Canada who has been interfering in our internal affairs. We have been raising this issue regularly with them, and we continue to call on Canada to take effective measures to address our core concerns,” Jaiswal said.