India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said Canada had seen significant amounts of “organised crime relating to secessionist forces. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
In the latest round of sparring between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last June, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the government had told the Canadian Government that it was not its “policy“ to engage in such acts.
He also said that Canada had a “very permissive” environment as far as secessionist activity was concerned.
“We told the Canadians that this is not the Government of India’s policy,” Mr. Jaishankar said about the allegations of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s death. The Canadians were also told that if they had specific information, the government “was open to looking at it”, as per the Minister.
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Mr. Jaishankar was speaking at an event at the Council for Foreign Relations in New York, moderated by former U.S. Ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster.
Canada has a ‘very permissive’ environment: Jaishankar
Seeking to provide context to the situation, Mr. Jaishankar said Canada had seen significant amounts of “organised crime relating to secessionist forces [i.e., supporters of India-related secessionist movements, such as the cause of Khalistan]”.
“We have actually been badgering the Canadians,” he said. “We have given them a lot of information about organised crime leadership, which operates out of Canada.”
The Minister said India had made several extradition requests of Canada.
“Our concern is that it’s really been very permissive because of political reasons,” Mr. Jaishankar said, adding that India’s diplomats have been threatened and its consulates attacked.
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He said there was interference in India’s politics, often justified on grounds of democracy.
Canada and India have exchanged diplomatic fire over the past week, requiring each other to downsize their missions and exchanging words. Canadian Government officials, had, even as recently as Tuesday, said they were concerned about foreign interference in Canada’s politics.
Asked for a comment on the reported sharing of intelligence between Five Eyes countries on Nijjar’s killing and reports that the FBI had warned certain persons about threats to their lives after the incident, Mr. Jaishankar said, “I’m not part of the Five Eyes.“
“I’m certainly not part of the FBI,” he added.
When asked if he was provided with evidence by the Canadian Government, specifically evidence of intercepted communications (i.e., allegedly linking Indian Government agents to Nijjar’s killing), Mr. Jaishankar did not clearly confirm or deny whether he had seen the documents.
“Are you asking if the Canadians gave us documents?” he said.
When asked again if the Canadians had given him [i.e., the government] a document regarding India’s intercepted diplomatic communications, he said, “I have said that if somebody gives us specific or relevant information, we’re prepared to look at it.”
Mr. Jaishankar was again pressed on whether he had received the evidence of purported intercepted communications.
“If I had, would I not be looking at it?” he said.
He was pressed further for a “yes” or “no” at which point the Mr. Juster intervened.
