New Delhi:
Canada on Monday said Pakistan could interfere in its April 28 general election to counter India’s “growing global influence”. Vanessa Lloyd, the deputy director of operations at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), said Islamabad could conduct foreign interference activities against Canada.
“The government of Pakistan could potentially conduct foreign interference activities against Canada in line with its strategic aims to promote political, security and economic stability in Pakistan and to counter India’s growing global influence,” she told a press conference.
Ms Lloyd also said that New Delhi could interfere in the election.
“We have also seen that the government of India has the intent and capability to interfere in Canadian communities and democratic processes to assert its geopolitical influence,” she said.
Canada had levelled similar allegations against the two countries last year, a charge unequivocally rejected by New Delhi.
The spy agency in April 2024 released an unclassified summary tabled as part of a federal inquiry examining potential foreign interference, alleging “clandestine” activities by both India and Pakistan during the 2021 and 2019 general elections.
It alleged that in 2021, the Indian government targeted specific electoral districts believed to harbour Indian-origin voters sympathetic to the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan stances.
The agency also claimed that a government proxy agent may have attempted to sway democratic processes through illicit financial support to favoured candidates, potentially remaining undisclosed to the recipients.
In a separate report, the agency accused Pakistan of covertly trying to influence politics at the federal level before the 2019 election to advance Pakistan’s interests.
India called the probe “baseless” and said that it was Canada who was interfering in its internal affairs.
Tensions between India and Canada simmered after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged New Delhi’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India dismissed the accusation as “absurd.”
Canada Claims China, Russia Could Interfere In Polls
Besides India and Pakistan, Canada’s spy agency said that China and Russia could also interfere in its polls, announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday.
“The PRC (People’s Republic of China) is highly likely to use AI-enabled tools to attempt to interfere with Canada’s democratic process in this current election,” Vanessa Lloyd told reporters.
Beijing is also “highly likely” to use social media to promote narratives favourable to its interests – and to specifically target Chinese ethnic, cultural and religious communities in Canada using “clandestine and deceptive” means, she said.
Russia has tried to build “dissemination networks” across social media and news websites that “amplify Kremlin talking points,” she said.
“It is possible that Russia will use these online networks to opportunistically conduct foreign information manipulation and interference operations directed at Canadians,” Ms Lloyd said.