External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during a press conference in Washington DC, expressed concern over the cases of threats, violence, and intimidation faced by Indian diplomats and missions in Canada. He highlighted incidents such as smoke bombs thrown at the mission, violence in front of consulates, targeted individuals, and intimidating posters. Jaishankar questioned the normalization of this situation and posed the question of how the reaction would have been different if a similar incident had occurred in any other country.
He stressed the need to refrain from normalizing what is happening in Canada and called for attention to be drawn to the ongoing situation. Jaishankar stated that if a similar situation had occurred in any other country, it would not have been taken calmly. He questioned the acceptability of freedom of speech being used to make threats and intimidate diplomats.
Jaishankar also spoke about the Sikh community and emphasized that extremist elements represent a small minority and do not represent the entire community. He urged respective governments to take unbiased actions and not view the discussions taking place currently as representative of the entire Sikh community.
Regarding the death of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Canada’s allegations of potential involvement of Indian agents, Jaishankar stated that India is open to looking into any specifics and relevant information shared by Canada. However, he highlighted the need to avoid treating incidents in isolation and to flag and address the larger issue of ‘permissiveness’.
In terms of India’s G20 presidency, Jaishankar highlighted the importance of bringing the world together and addressing challenges collectively. He expressed pride in India’s efforts towards sustainable development, green growth, and digital delivery during its G20 presidency.
The strained ties between India and Canada have led to India suspending its visa services in Canada. India has also issued an advisory for its citizens traveling to Canada, urging them to exercise utmost caution due to growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in the country.
