Hours after US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday that he had urged his Indian counterpart to work with Canada to investigate the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Sikh Nijjar, S Jaishankar said he saw what the Americans have said and hoped that they, too, have seen what he has said on the matter.
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.
Addressing a press conference in 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.”
Jaishankar added that the larger issue in the matter is the “permissiveness” regarding the incidents of violence and extremism in Canada, which has been flagged by India.
“No incident is isolated and no incident is the totality. There is a context for everything and there are multiple problems out there, so in the case of individual cases, I guess we will have to see…the concerned governments will have to talk with each other, and see how they take it forward. But there is a larger issue, and I think the larger issue should be flagged. I think the larger issue is the permissiveness that I have flagged,” Jaishankar said.
“Most important, the fact that our diplomatic missions and our diplomatic personnel have been consistently and continuously intimidated in Canada to a point where today it is not safe for them really to carry on with their work.
“Obviously the fact that we have had to temporarily suspend our visa operations, it’s not something we would have liked to do. It is just that they made it very difficult for us to operate those services,” Jaishankar said.
Earlier in the day, Blinken told reporters he hoped that this issue would be resolved by Canada and India, news agency Reuters reported.
“We are very concerned about the allegations that have been raised by Canada, by Prime Minister Trudeau. We have been in close contact with Canada about that. And at the same time, we have engaged with the Indian government and urged them to work with Canada on an investigation, and I had the opportunity to do so again in my meeting yesterday with foreign minister Jaishankar,” Reuters quoted Blinken as saying.
“Those responsible need to be held accountable, and we hope that our friends in both Canada and India will work together to resolve this matter,” he said.
Talking to the journalists, Jaishankar said, “In India, it will not come as a surprise to anybody if you tell them that there are people in Canada who are advocating violence, separatism, there is a history out there. All Indians notice, I suspect very few Americans know this. I think a lot of what I said at today’s meeting was new to Americans.”
The EAM added that it is very important that the US has India’s point of view on the matter as well, because Washington has good relations with both Ottawa and New Delhi.
“When Americans look at Canada, they see something, when we in India look at Canada, we see something else and that’s a part of the problem, so it’s very important that we talk it out with the Americans. After all, they are very close to India, they are good friends of ours…so it’s important they have our point of view on the matter as well,” Jaishankar said.
He added, “What we have taken is a very reasonable stance…When was the last time that any of our missions was intimidated to a point where it could not continue with its normal functioning? If someone says this could happen in a G7 country, in a Commonwealth country, it gives you a lot to think about”.
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India has angrily rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat act to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
When asked if there is a deadlock between India and Canada on resolving the issue, Jaishankar said: “I don’t know if I would use the term deadlock.”
He said India’s point is that there is today a climate of violence and an atmosphere of intimidation.
“Just think about it. We’ve had smoke bombs thrown at the mission. We’ve had our consulates, violence in front of them. Individuals have been targeted and intimidated. There are posters put up about people,” he said.
“So tell me, do you consider this normal? Would, I mean for a moment, okay, this is about us. If this had happened to any other country, how would they react to it? I think it’s a reasonable question to ask. Let’s not normalise what is happening in Canada. What is happening in Canada, had it happened anywhere else, do you think the world would’ve taken it with equanimity?” he asked.
Jaishankar said it is necessary to call out what is happening in Canada.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI, Reuters)
