Minister of External Affairs S Jaisankar has criticized the Justin Trudeau-led government in Canada for issuing visas to people with links to organised crimes for “political purposes” despite warnings from the Indian government. The minister said the Trudeau government has given legitimacy to “extremism, separatism and advocates of violence” in the name of free speech, news agency ANI reported on Sunday.
Speaking during an interaction on his book ‘Why Bharat Matters‘ in Bhubaneswar, Jaishankar said some people in Canada, with ‘pro-Pakistan leanings’, have organised themselves politically and taken the shape of an influential political lobby.
It is important to note that, earlier on Saturday, Canada claimed to have arrested three Indian nationals residing in Edmonton, namely Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22), and Karanpreet Singh (28), for alleged involvement in Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder.
Trudeau claimed, “This is important because Canada is a rule-of-law country with a strong and independent justice system, as well as a fundamental commitment to protecting all its citizens.”
Responding to Trudeau’s criticism of India, Jaishankar said, “India’s image globally is now actually much much higher than it had been ever… Canada is an exception. You see the different country heads are praising Bharat and its Prime Minister.”
Trudeau’s country thinks there wouldn’t be any reaction to its antics of fostering criminals, Jaishankar said.
“In some countries, these kinds of people have organised themselves politically and become a political lobby and in some of these democratic countries, the politicians of these countries are made to believe that if they defer to these people or pander to these people, these people have some ability to get a community to support them. So, they have tried to create space for themselves in the politics of these countries. I mean, at this time, it’s not so much a problem in the US,” ANI quoted Jaishankar as saying.
The External Affairs Minister said India’s biggest problem right now is in Canada.
“Our biggest problem right now is in Canada. Because in Canada, actually, today the party in power in Canada, and other parties in Canada have given these kinds of extremism, separatism, and advocates of violence a certain legitimacy in the name of free speech. See, when you tell them something, their answer is no no we are a democratic country but it is free speech,” Jaishankar added.
“The point that they need to understand, it is no longer a world that runs as a one-way street. If there are that which happen out there, there will be pushback. Newton’s law of politics will apply there also. There will be a reaction. Others will take steps or counter it” the Indian foreign minister said.
Canadian visas for criminals
Slamming the Canadian government for welcoming people from India with links to organised crime, despite warnings by New Delhi, the Minister of External Affairs said,” The fact is that a number of gangland people, a number of people with organised crime links from Punjab have been made welcome in Canada. We have been telling Canada saying look these are wanted criminals from India, you have given them visas.”
The minister stressed that many of these people with organised crime links go to Canada on false documentation, and they are allowed to live there.
“If you decide to import for political purposes people with very dubious, actually, very negative backgrounds, there will be issues, they have in some cases created problems in their own country as a result of their own policies. No, why would we fear, if something happens there, it is for them to worry about” the minister added.
It is important to note that both countries are dealing with an unprecedented diplomatic crisis after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of killing pro-Khalistan Canadian leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. However, the Indian government has dismissed the accusations as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Source: Livemint .com
