Let's not normalise what is happening in Canada, says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in US

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday (local time) said the ongoing situation in Canada should not be regarded as normal, and made it clear that India does not require lessons from others on the concept of freedom of speech.

Speaking in Washington DC after attending a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, EAM Jaishankar said: “...Our point is that there is today a climate of violence, an atmosphere of intimidation...Just think about it. We have had smoke bombs thrown at the mission. We have had our consulates…violence in front of them. Individuals have been targeted and intimidated. There are posters put up about people."

“So tell me, do you consider this normal? Okay, this is about this… if this had happened to any other country, how would they react to it? I think it is reasonable question to ask,” he added.

His remarks came amid tensions between India and Canada. EAM Jaishankar earlier confirmed that he had spoken to Blinken and US national security advisor Jake Sullivan about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of India's possible involvement in the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. 

India had earlier rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd".

In an apparent reference to Canada, Jaishankar said freedom of expression should not extend to incitement of violence. “…I flagged here (in the US), and I flagged this to the Canadians as well. We are a democracy. We don't need to learn from other people what freedom of speech is about, but we can tell people this…we don't think freedom of speech extends to incitement to violence. That to us, is the misuse of freedom, that’s not defence of freedom”.

Jaishankar on Friday said that India and Canada would have to talk to each other and see how they resolve their differences over Nijjar's death. 

"It's not like our doors are shut to look at something. But we need something to look at," Jaishankar said, when asked about the lack of evidence for Canada's allegations against India.

"If they are prepared to share with us specifics (of their allegations) and any relevant information, we are also open to looking at it, but what we do not want to see is an incident treated in isolation as it doesn't convey the right picture," Jaishankar added.

While speaking at Washington DC, Jaishankar said: “I saw what the Americans have said, and hopefully, the Americans have seen what I have said. I think both of us have articulated our respective views…so I really don’t know, beyond that, what else I can add."

He further said that some extradition requests have not been responded to by Canada. He said there are individuals and organizations who are clearly involved with violence and illegal activities in India.

"We have had an ongoing problem with Canada and the Canadian government for some years now. The ongoing problem really revolves around the permissiveness to terrorism, extremism and violence. This permissiveness is also reflected in the fact that some important extradition requests have not been responded to from their side," he said.

Trudeau has offered no evidence to support his allegation against India, but reports said this was a shared information among an intelligence alliance also including US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Rejecting the charge, India has accused Canada of providing safe haven to terrorists.

The US did not mention anything about the India-Canada row during EAM Jaishankar's meeting with Blinken on Thursday. Earlier, it had expressed deep concern over the allegations and said it cares for both its allies - India and Canada.

The US State Department had also said that India can speak for itself and urged New Delhi to collaborate with the Canadian probe.

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