India on Thursday reiterated its charge that Canada has given space to anti-India elements and was interfering in the internal affairs of this country and said it expected Ottawa to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
At a media briefing here, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said; ”Ottawa has consistently given space to anti-India extremists and violence. That is at the heart of the issue (in bilateral ties). Our diplomatic representatives have borne the brunt of this. So we expect the Government of Canada to live up to their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We have also seen interference in our internal affairs. This is obviously unacceptable.”
India and Canada are currently involved in a major diplomatic row over the killing of ‘Khalistan’ supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged the involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar, a charge that was termed as ”absurd” by New Delhi.
The spokesperson’s remarks came a day after the US charged an Indian national with conspiracy to assassinate a New York-based Sikh separatist and the Canadian Prime Minister said that New Delhi needs to take the charge “seriously” and cooperate in the investigations.