India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar looks on as he delivers his speech at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Postal Ministers’ Conference with India during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta on July 13, 2023, where Myanmar’s seat remained empty. BAY ISMOYO/Pool via Portal/File Photo Purchase license rights
Sept 26 (Portal) – India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Tuesday India had told Canada it was ready to consider any “specific” or “relevant” information it provided about the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that Ottawa had credible intelligence linking Indian agents to the killing, prompting an angry initial reaction from New Delhi, which denied the claim.
When asked about the allegations at a Council on Foreign Relations event in New York, Jaishankar detailed India’s response during diplomatic negotiations.
“First, we told Canadians that this is not the policy of the Indian government,” he said. “Secondly, we said to Canadians: Look, if you have something specific, if you have something relevant, let us know – we’re open to looking at it.”
India last week suspended new visas for Canadians and called on Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country, citing a deteriorating security environment.
India has “harassed Canadians” with its claims that organized criminals are based there, a reference to separatists like Nijjar, he said, adding that India has made “a large number of extradition requests.”
“Without context the picture is not complete,” he added. “You also have to realize that there has actually been a lot of organized crime in Canada over the last few years, you know, related to the secessionist forces, organized crime, violence, extremism, they’re all very…very deeply messed up .”
Canada’s allies, including the United States, have cautiously expressed concern about the claims and called on India to cooperate with Canada’s investigation.
The US ambassador to Canada told Canadian television that some information on the case had been collected by the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Reporting by Simon Lewis and David Brunnstrom; Edited by Leslie Adler and Timothy Gardner
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