Internal politics grants safe haven to terrorists in Canada: S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday voiced concerns over what he perceives as leniency towards the infiltration of terrorist groups on Canadian soil, owing to specific political compulsions.

"We consider there is a permissive Canadian attitude towards terrorists, extremists, people who openly advocate violence. They have been given operating space in Canada because of the compulsions of Canadian politics," Jaishankar spoke at an event in Washington DC.

According to the minister, Canada is a place where "organised crime from India is mixed with human trafficking, secessionism, violence, and terrorism." "It's a very toxic combination of issues and people who have found operating space there," he stated. These concerns, according to Jaishankar, are the source of India's "tension" with Canada, which existed prior to the claims made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The harmony between India and Canada has recently been overshadowed by growing tensions. Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, sparked controversy by suggesting potential involvement of Indian government agents in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar earlier this year. His provocative remarks have understandably led to diplomatic perturbations between the two nations. While the Indian government has criticized Trudeau's allegations as unfounded and irresponsible, the Canadian Prime Minister has so far not furnished any conclusive evidence to back his claim.

According to the foreign minister, Indian diplomats in Canada are "unsafe" when they visit the embassy or consulate. "They are publicly intimidated. And that has actually compelled me to temporarily suspend even visa operations in Canada," he added.

As per Jaishankar, Trudeau's claims against India were raised "privately and then publicly." On India's response to the allegations, he said, "Our response to him, both in private and public, what he was alleging was not consistent with our policy. And that if his government had anything relevant and specific they would like us to look into, we were open to looking at it." 

Jaishankar also confirmed that he spoke to Jake Sullivan and Blinken on the Canada row -- the ongoing diplomatic crisis between India and Canada.

"Yes I did," Jaishankar said replying to a question. "They obviously shared the US views and the assessment of the whole situation. I explained to them, at some length, the summary of the concerns which I had. Hopefully, we both came out of those meetings better informed," Jaishankar said.

Meanwhile, the US clarified its position on the India-Canada dispute, saying it supports the probe into Nijjar's death and expects India to cooperate. As the matter arose during Jaishankar's current visit to the United States, US State Department spokeswoman Mathew Miller stated that India can answer for itself over Canadian charges.

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