As its diplomatic row with Canada escalates over the killing of a Khalistani separatist, the Indian government on Thursday said that the allegations seem to be "politically driven".
Tensions flared between India and Canada early this week following Trudeau's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on his country's soil on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
"I do think there is a degree of prejudice here. They have made the allegations and taken action on them. To us, it seems or it appears that these allegations by the government of Canada are primarily politically driven," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a press conference.
India-Canada row: Top points
1. On being asked about Canada sharing any specific information on the present issue, the MEA spokesperson said, "No specific information has been shared by Canada in this case, either then or now. We are willing to look at any specific information on this, but so far we have received no information from Canada."
2. "From our side, specific evidence about criminal activities by individuals based on Canadian soil has been shared with the Canadian authorities on a regular basis, but not been acted upon," Bagchi added.
3. Arindam Bagchi briefed the media and said the larger issue was that of terrorism, terror-funding and safe havens being provided to terrorists abroad. "Terrorism is being funded and supported by our western neighbour Pakistan, but the issue of safe havens and places to operate are being provided abroad, including in Canada," he said.
4. "We would want the Canadian government to not provide safe havens to terrorists and to take action against those who are facing terrorism charges or send them here to face charges," he added.
5. Arindam Bagchi said that the Indian High Commission and Consulates in Canada are facing security threats and the visa services have been suspended due to "security situation". "We will be reviewing the situation regularly," the MEA spokesperson said.
6. The government clarified that those who have valid visas or have Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards are free to travel to India. "The issue is the incitement of violence, inaction by Canadian authorities, and the creation of an environment that disrupts the functioning of our consulates, which is what is making us stop temporarily the issuance of visa services," the government said.
7. India also asserted that if any country needs to worry about its international reputation, it is Canada. "If you talk about reputational damage, it is Canada that needs to look at its growing reputation as a place, as a safe haven for terrorists, for extremists, and for organised crime," Bagchi said.
8. He also said that India had sought the extradition of at least 20-25 individuals over the years, but the response from Canada has not been helpful at all.
9. Regarding a query on Indian students in Canada, Bagchi said that the Indian government has issued an advisory, and the Indian High Commission and Consulates are operational, and work is ongoing there. "If there are any difficulties, they can contact them. However, in our advisory, we have advised them to exercise caution and monitor the situation," he said.
10. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said India is a country of "growing importance" and that his government was "not looking to provoke or cause problems". He also called on the Indian government to "work with us" in the investigation in the killing of the Sikh separatist leader. "We call upon the government of India to work with us, to establish processes to uncover the truth of the matter and to allow justice and accountability to be served," said the Canadian PM. Justin Trudeau said he had a "direct and frank" conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit a few days ago where he shared his concerns.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and one of India's most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18.
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