May 8 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Canada’s foreign minister has reiterated the allegation that Indian agents were connected to the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 last year, even as India’s envoy to the country has described as a “red line” the threat to its territorial integrity posed by Canadian citizens.
Speaking to the media in Ottawa, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly, said, “Canada’s position has always been clear. Our job is to protect Canadians and we stand by the allegations that a Canadian was killed on Canadian soil by Indian agents.”
That statement came in the context of a question relating to the arrest of three Indian nationals by law enforcement for their alleged involvement in the murder.
India has described those accusations, first made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons on September 18, as “absurd” and “motivated”.
On Tuesday, India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma addressed the matter of the threat originating from pro-Khalistan elements in Canada. Speaking at the Conseil des relations internationales de Montréal or the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, he said, “My concern is national security, threats emanating from the land of Canada. These threats are largely emanating from Canadian citizens. These two are my red lines.”
He also said while some may have been Indian citizens earlier, they were now Canadians who were casting an “evil eye on the territorial integrity of India”.
Verma attributed the differences between the governments to Canada ignoring New Delhi’s point of view, as he said, “The origin is the lack of understanding of India’s concerns.”
However, he added, channels of communication between them remained open. “There are a lot of discussions at the government level happening, through the diplomatic channels, not open to public.” Both sides, he said were “trying to find solutions and resolutions to the issues of concern”.
Joly reiterated on Tuesday, “It’s always better when diplomacy remains in private.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan has described as “not accurate” a media report that India refused to allow a flight carrying him and Trudeau to land in Punjab in February 2018 till they agreed to a meeting with then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
Speaking during an event in Ottawa on budget measures addressing climate crisis, Sajjan, who was then the Minister of National Defence, described that report as “not accurate”.
The meeting was held in Amritsar, and Trudeau, Sajjan and three other Indo-Canadian ministers met the Punjab CM.
Sajjan said, “That report is not accurate.” However, he added, “There has been significant misinformation and disinformation by India on individuals including on myself and my family as well.”
Sajjan also said the Canadian government took “any allegations or information by any country very seriously when it comes to any type of criminal activity that’s potentially taking place in our country.” But, he echoed what Trudeau has said earlier, that Canadians, of any origin, “have the right to express their viewpoints” if that is done “peacefully”.