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'Canada harbours extremist elements', S Jaishankar says in US

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 29 Sep 2023, 10:00 am

New Delhi : In another attack on Canada, which was called a safe haven for terrorists by the Centre last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the country harbours extremist elements and that India has conveyed its concerns in this regard to the United States.

The comment comes after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week said that there are "credible allegations" that the Indian government was involved in the killing of Sikh terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia just last June.

Trudeau's allegation regarding Nijjar's killing has triggered a row between India and Canada.

Jaishankar made the comments in response to a question during a discussion at a think tank in Washington, DC, on Friday.

"The Canadian Prime Minister made some allegations, initially privately and then publicly, and our response to him, both in private and public, was that what he was alleging was not consistent with our policy," the foreign minister said.

"And that if he or his government had anything relevant and specific that they would like us to look into, we were open to looking at it. That's where that conversation is at this point in time," he said.

Earlier Trudeau said his nation is still committed to building closer ties with India despite repeating his already-made allegations.

Speaking at a press conference in Montreal, Trudeau was quoted as saying by the National Post that he thinks it is “extremely important” that Canada and its allies continue to engage “constructively and seriously” with India given its growing importance on the world stage.

“India is a growing economic power and important geopolitical player. And as we presented with our Indo-Pacific strategy, just last year, we’re very serious about building closer ties with India,” he told reporters.

“At the same time, obviously, as a rule of law country, we need to emphasize that India needs to work with Canada to ensure that we get the full facts of this matter," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.