New Delhi: India on Thursday blamed the “cavalier behaviour” of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the “damage” done to the bilateral ties. Citing Trudeau’s testimony before Canada’s commission of inquiry on foreign interference that his allegations against India on the killing of pro-Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar were based on “intelligence (and), not hard evidentiary proof, the ministry of external affairs said India’s stand vindicated.
In response to media queries regarding Trudeau’s deposition at Canada’s commission of inquiry, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along -- Canada has presented us with no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats. The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Trudeau alone.”
Jaiswal said the current diplomatic row with Canada has been precipitated by the Trudeau government’s “baseless allegations” and reiterated that “no evidence” has been shared to back the allegations. He said economic ties with Canada remain strong and termed Canada a “beneficiary” of the strong linkages between the two nations.
In his deposition, Trudeau was quoted by media reports as having said, “I was briefed on the fact that there was intelligence from Canada and possibly from Five Eyes allies that made it fairly clear, incredibly clear, that India was involved in this... Agents of the government of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil... At that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof. So we said, let’s work together and look into your security services.”
At the briefing, Jaiswal said as many as 26 extradition requests, including those of five alleged terrorists -- Gurjit Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa and Arshdeep Singh Gill -- are pending with the Canadian government. “No action was taken by the Canadian side. This is a serious issue. People whom we requested them (Canada) to arrest, whom we asked to be deported (from Canada). Now the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is blaming the Indian side. This is a contradiction that we don’t understand,” he said.
Asked about the threats that members of the Indian community received from pro-Khalistan elements, Jaiswal said, “These are clear examples of intimidation and violence. These are examples of what afflicts Canada.” He added that “shifting the blame on India” will not help the Canadian side.
On Trudeau’s pitch that he supports the territorial integrity of India, Jaiswal said, “There is a gap between action and words here.”
In response to reports that NSA Ajit Doval had met his Canadian counterpart in Singapore last week and discussed the activities of the Bishnoi gang, Jaiswal said, “The meeting in Singapore happened. Some exchanges took place (between the two sides).” He said security information was shared earlier with Canada on criminals and gangsters, including those belonging to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and that New Delhi had asked for their arrest but that “no action was taken” by Canada.
In response to another query regarding the Indian mission in Canada, the foreign ministry spokesperson said visas can be issued by the Indian diplomatic missions in Canada and that there was no obstacle to that.
