India’s Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has disclosed that India is open to looking into any “specific” or “relevant” information that Canada provides on the assassination of Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
This comes amid a diplomatic row sparked by an allegation made last week by Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau asserted that Canada had credible intelligence which links India to Nijjar’s murder.
However, India has denied the allegation.
Commenting on the allegation at a Council on Foreign Relations event in New York, Jaishankar stressed the need for specific details from the Canadian side.
“One, we told the Canadians that this is not the government of India’s policy. Two, we told the Canadians saying that look, if you have something specific, if you have something relevant, you know, let us know – we are open to looking at it.”
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
“The picture is not complete without the context,” he added.
Jaishankar noted that India had been “badgering the Canadians” about its claims that organised criminals are based there.
“You also have to appreciate that in the last few years, Canada actually has seen a lot of organised crime, you know, relating to, you know, the secessionist forces, organised crime, violence, extremism, they are all very, very deeply mixed up.
“So in fact, we have been talking about specifics and information. We have given them a lot of information about organized crime and leadership, which operates out of Canada. There are a large number of extradition requests. There are terrorist leaders, who have been identified.”
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
“Our concern is that it’s really been very permissive because of political reasons,” he added.
Jaishankar noted that India is facing a situation where its diplomats are threatened, its consulates have been attacked and comments made [that are] interference in Indian politics.
“A lot of this is often justified, as saying that’s how democracies work,” he added.
“If somebody gives me something specific, it doesn’t have to be restricted to Canada. But if there’s any incident which is an issue and somebody gives me something specific, as a government, I would look at it.”
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot in his truck by masked gunmen outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.
He was a strong advocate of the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent homeland for Sikhs in India’s Punjab region.
The Khalistan movement is outlawed in India and considered a national security threat by the government.
Canada is home to some 770,000 Sikhs, or about two percent of the country’s population, with a vocal group voicing support for creating a separate state of Khalistan.
Wrong Person To Comment On Five Eyes Intelligence
When queried on reports that intelligence on Nijjar’s killing was shared amongst the intelligence-sharing alliance called the Five Eyes, as well as the FBI telling Sikh leaders in the U.S that there are credible threats to them, Jaishankar replied, “I’m not part of The Five Eyes, I’m certainly not part of the FBI. So I think you’re asking the wrong person.”
‘Five Eyes’ network is an intelligence alliance consisting of the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Last week, top U.S diplomat in Canada, David Cohen, said the “shared intelligence among ‘Five Eyes’ partners” led Trudeau to make allegations against India in the Nijjar killing.
Meanwhile, some legislators in the U.S from the opposition Democrats have expressed concern over Nijjar’s killing and demanded the US administration should support the Canadian investigation.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said in a post on X, “The US must fully support the Canadian investigation.”
“We are also requesting a briefing on whether there are similar operations in the United States,” she added.
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