- By Radha Basnet
- Tue, 02 Jan 2024 12:37 PM (IST)
- Source:ANI
India-Canada Ties: Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar has stated that Khalistani elements have been given room by Canadian politics and allowed them to indulge in activities that adversely impact bilateral relations between India and Canada. He asserted that neither nation would benefit from these acts.
"The issue at heart is the fact that in Canadian politics, these Khalistani forces have been given a lot of space and have been allowed to indulge in activities which I think are damaging to the relationship, clearly not in India's interest, and not in Canada's interest either. But unfortunately, that is the state of their politics," EAM Jaishankar said as quoted by news agency ANI.
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The External Affairs Minister also clarified that the G20 summit in New Delhi had no relation to the Khalistani issue in Canada.
"Getting everybody around on a G20 has nothing to do with the Khalistan issue in Canada. The Khalistan issue is not new. The Khalistan issue has existed for years...I can explain my government, my prime minister, and my book. It's not for me to speculate on other Prime Ministers," he added.
The diplomatic relations between India and Canada hit a new low after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made shocking allegations accusing Indian government agents of killing a notorious Khalistani terrorist in June in British Columbia. Trudeau claimed that his government had credible evidence linking the murder of Nijjar to Indian agents.
India, however, denied the claims, calling them "absurd and motivated." Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Canada has provided "no specific information" to support the allegations.
While India has in the past attributed Canada's inaction to vote-bank politics, Canada too has held for quite some time that India has been interfering in Sikh-related matters in the North American country.
The Khalistan movement is outlawed in India and several groups associated with the movement are listed as "terrorist organisations" under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
(With ANI Inputs)