The Canadian government has not shared "any shred of information" about the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the ongoing diplomatic crisis between India and Canada has been precipitated by “wrong policies” of the Justin Trudeau administration, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly media briefing on Thursday (October 17). His remarks came as diplomatic tensions between the two countries are running at an all-time high following Trudeau’s latest accusations on India regarding Nijjar’s killing.
What did MEA say on India-Canada diplomatic row?
“We have made our position very clear. Since September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared anything with us. Canada has not given us any evidence so far. We will naturally reject false allegations against us. This crisis has been precipitated by the wrong policies of Canada,” Jaiswal said.
"As far as the allegations are concerned, PM Trudeau's own admission, yesterday would decade the value as regards are stands...we reject false imputations against our diplomats," the spokesperson said.
The MEA official further informed that Canada has 26 extradition requests pending from India of the criminals who also include those from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
“There are 26 extradition requests pending with Canada and there are other criminals also whose extradition requests are pending. Four other criminals’ extradition requests are pending with Canada which include Gurjeet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Lakhvir Singh Landa, Arshdeep Gill,” Jaiswal said.
“There is a clear pattern to smear the image of India, reasons best known to them,” he said.
Reacting to Trudeau's "One India policy" remark, the MEA spokesperson said that there is a gap between his words and actions.
"We have seen comments of PM Trudeau that he believes in One India policy, but so far the actions we have requested against anti-India elements, no action has been taken. There is a gap between actions and words here," he said.
India-Canada diplomatic row
India strongly rejected attempts by the Canadian authorities to link Indian agents with criminal gangs in Canada with official sources in New Delhi even saying that Ottawa's assertion that it shared evidence with New Delhi in the Nijjar case was simply not true. Sources in New Delhi also rejected Trudeau's previous allegations that India was engaging in activities, including carrying out covert operations targeting Canadian nationals in his country.
Trudeau on Wednesday (October 16) acknowledged that he had only intelligence and no "hard evidentiary proof" when he alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Nijjar last year.
The MEA issued a statement today after the media reports regarding Trudeau's admission and said that what it has heard only "confirms" New Delhi's consistent stand that Canada has "presented us no evidence" in support of the serious allegations Ottawa chose to level against India and Indian diplomats.
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