GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 21st Oct. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday condemned Canada for its “double standards” amid escalating tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa over the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil last year.
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Jaishankar remarked, “Double standards is a very mild word for it,” as he elaborated on how Canada treats its diplomats compared to Indian diplomats. His comments came in the wake of New Delhi’s recent expulsion of Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats, following allegations from Ottawa regarding India’s involvement in Nijjar’s killing in British Columbia.
Jaishankar stated, “I think there are some very specific issues,” referencing Canada’s request for an inquiry involving India’s high commissioner. In response, India chose to withdraw its high commissioner and diplomats, asserting that Canada allows its diplomats to collect intelligence on India without hindrance. He stated, “Canadian diplomats have no problem going around collecting information on our military, police, profiling people, targeting people to be stopped in Canada.”
He emphasized the disparity in treatment, saying, “The licence that they give themselves is totally different from the kind of restrictions that they impose on diplomats in Canada.” Jaishankar highlighted that while Canada dismisses threats made against Indian diplomats as freedom of speech, similar threats against Canadian entities are taken seriously. “If you threaten the Indian high commissioner, he is supposed to accept it as freedom of speech, but if an Indian journalist says the Canadian high commissioner walked out of the South Block looking very grumpy, it is apparently foreign interference,” he pointed out.
The bilateral relations have deteriorated significantly since Canada linked Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma, to Nijjar’s murder. New Delhi has firmly rejected all allegations from Ottawa regarding the incident, emphasizing that Nijjar was a designated terrorist in India.
Jaishankar also addressed threats made by pro-Khalistani elements against Indian airlines and diplomats, describing them as “cleverly worded.” He questioned how the Canadian government would respond if similar threats were made against them, saying, “If it was your airline being threatened, your Parliament, your diplomats…would you take them lightly?”
Concluding his remarks, Jaishankar acknowledged that the issue stems from a segment of Canadian politics, stating, “We are having a problem with a segment of politics in Canada,” but expressed a desire to maintain people-to-people relations and narrow down the complexities of the situation.
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