“We are not ruling out an investigation and looking at anything which they may have to offer. They haven’t done so,” Jaishankar added.
Photo: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
India does not rule out a probe into Canada’s allegations over the involvement of Indian agents in the killing of ‘Khalistan’ supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar, but Ottawa must first provide evidence in this regard, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.
“Regarding (Canadian Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau’s allegation, I have discussed it with my counterpart — I still do — we told them, look, if you have a reason to make such an allegation, please share the evidence with us,” Jaishankar said in response to a question from journalist Lionel Barber during a conversation in London on Wednesday.
“We are not ruling out an investigation and looking at anything which they may have to offer. They haven’t done so.” he added.
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The Indian minister said Canada was a country with previous history and referred in this connection to the bombing of an Air India flight in 1985. “It has come to a situation where the diplomats of my country, including the High Commissioner, have been attacked, smoke bombs were thrown at the High Commission and Consulate General, my diplomats were intimated in public, on record, with no action taken on this,” he pointed out.
Noting that both India and Canada were democracies, he hastened to add that the freedom of speech and the freedom of expression also came with a certain responsibility. The misuse of those freedoms and the toleration of that misuse for political purposes would be very wrong.
“We feel that Canadian politics has given space to violent and extreme political opinions which advocate separatism from India, including through violent means. These people have been accommodated in Canadian politics. They are given the freedom to articulate their views,” Jaishankar said.
Asked whether he believed that Nijjar was a terrorist, Jaishankar said: “He has a track record which is there in the social media. That track record is a pretty graphic one. I would leave everybody to make their judgement. He held public positions.”
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