India on Friday reacted sharply to Canadian Parliament observing two-minute silence on the death anniversary of ‘Khalistan’ supporter leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, saying it is opposed to any moves giving political space to extremism and those advocating violence.
At a media briefing here, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also stated that India has lodged a strong protest with Canada over ‘Khalistani’ extremists holding a so-called “citizens court” and burning an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside the Indian consulate in Vancouver.
The spokesperson said India has communicated to the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi its anguish over the space being given to the ‘Khalistani’ separatists by the Justin Trudeau government.
India’s reaction came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Trudeau held a brief conversation on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy’s Apulia region. The interaction between them came against the backdrop of wrinkles in India-Canada ties.
The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Mr Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing.
New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”. India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-‘Khalistan’ elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.