External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday that the attack on a Hindu temple at Brampton in Canada on Sunday was ”deeply concerning” and accused Ottawa of making allegations against India in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar without providing specifics.
”What happened at the Hindu temple in Canada was obviously deeply concerning. And you would have seen the statement first by (the MEA) official spokesperson and also the expression of concern by our Prime Minister yesterday. So that should, I think, convey to you how deeply we feel about it,” he said at a joint press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong after talks between them in Canberra.
Canada, he said, is putting Indian diplomats under surveillance, which is something unacceptable to India. Mr Jaishankar also spoke about political space being given to extremist voices in Canada. ”So, we believe in freedoms, we also believe freedom should not be abused, and have had a talk about it, exactly on the lines,” he added.
The Australian minister said she raised with Mr Jaishankar the charges levelled by Canada about the involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing. ”We have made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation. We’ve said that we respect Canada’s judicial process. We convey our views to India as you would expect us to do. And we have a principle position in relation to matters such as the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and also frankly the sovereignty of all countries,” she said in response to a question.
In the context of the Sikh community in Australia, Ms Wong said people have a right to be safe and respected regardless of who they are in her country and that’s the essence of Australia’s multicultural democracy.
Referring to bilateral economic ties, Mr Jaishankar said the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) has yielded results and the two countries are now negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). He also spoke about the growing partnership between the two countries in other fields such as education and defence.