S. Jaishankar refutes Trudeau’s allegations about Nijjar’s killing, says it’s not India’s policy

 NEW DELHI: In a rebuke to the allegations levelled by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the involvement of India in the murder case of Canada-based pro-Khalistan hardliner Hardeep Singh Nijjar, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, “This is not the government of India’s policy”.

Jaishankar made the remarks during a conversation at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York after his address at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

He said that New Delhi has already informed Ottawa that it is open to looking at specific and relevant information.

Trudeau’s allegations have led to a diplomatic spat between India and Canada, with New Delhi rejecting Ottawa’s claims as “absurd and motivated”, followed by tit-for-tat expulsions of senior diplomats and travel advisories.

“We told the Canadians that this is not the government of India’s policy. We told them to look; if you have something specific or relevant, let us know. We are open to looking at it,” he said.

His remarks came to a question from former US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster at the event.

Jaishankar went on to add that in the last few years, Canada has actually seen a lot of organised crime related to secessionist forces, organised crime, violence, and extremism.

“They’re all very, very deeply mixed up,” he added. Jaishankar went on to say that India has been giving Canada information about organised crime leadership operating out of their soil.

There were a large number of extradition requests, and terrorist leaders were identified, he said.

Rather, Jaishankar said that India had a situation where its diplomats were threatened and consulates attacked, and then often comments are made about “there’s interference in our politics”.

“And a lot of this is often justified as saying, well, that’s how democracies work,” he said.

He was asked about the reports citing the role of the Five Eyes group regarding the intelligence behind the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and reports of the FBI warning US Sikh leaders about “credible threats” to them.

Responding to the question during the ‘Discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations’ in New York, Jaishankar said, “I am not part of The Five Eyes; I am certainly not part of the FBI. So I think you are asking the wrong person”.

The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US, and the UK.

Earlier, David Cohen, the US Ambassador to Canada, said that it was “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners” that led the Trudeau administration to make the claim of a potential link between “agents” of the Indian government and the killing of separatist Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

During the event, the EAM also highlighted the “organised crime related to secessionist forces, violence, and extremism” in Canada, raising concerns over them being “very permissive” due to political reasons. Jaishankar had addressed the issue earlier during his speech at the UN, but he had not named Canada. (Agencies)

Also Read:  FBI warns prominent US Sikhs of threats after Nijjar’s killing in Canada

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