Last Updated:
The MEA said the categorisation was an example of how Canada strategised to attack India.
India has said that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given space to violent Khalistani extremists in the country. (IMAGE: AFP)
India criticised Canada on Saturday for labelling it as a cyber threat “adversary,” calling this classification yet another instance of Canada’s ongoing strategy to “attack” India.
The external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal criticised Canada over its National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026 report which accused New Delhi of preparing for so-called state-sponsored hacking and cyber-espionage attempts.
“We judge that official bilateral relations between Canada and India will very likely drive Indian state-sponsored cyber threat activity against Canada,” the report, published earlier this week, said.
Their senior officials have “openly confessed” that they are seeking to “manipulate global opinion against India”, and as on other occasions, imputations are made “without any evidence,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters in response to queries on the issue.
The October 30 report includes a category ‘Cyber threat from state adversaries’ with China placed as the “most comprehensive cyber security threat”. India is named fifth after China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. It is the first time India has been included in the list.
“Another category, Canada has put India into. This categorisation is as per the cyber report that they have issued. It appears to be another example of a Canadian strategy to attack India,” Jaiswal said.
“As I mentioned earlier, their senior officials have openly confessed that they are seeking to manipulate global opinion against India, as on other occasions, imputations are made without any evidence,” he said.
While rejecting India being bracketed in that category, the MEA spokesperson said, “You first state absurd and baseless things and then level such an accusation against us. This is absolutely not right”.
The report, whose last edition was issued two years ago, comes amid an escalating diplomatic row between the two countries.
The report also categorises India as a “state adversary” along with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
It also accused India of building ‘cyber programmes’ that threaten Canada.
“Countries that aspire to become new centres of power within the global system, such as India, are building cyber programmes that present varying levels of threat to Canada,” the report said.
The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing.
New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”.
India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.
India has expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrawn its high commissioner Sanjay Verma and other “targeted” officials from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa’s charges.
(with PTI inputs)