‘US, Canada issues not same…’: Jaishankar on plot to kill Khalistani separatists
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar drew a distinction between the concerns raised by the US and Canada with India over an alleged plot to murder Khalistani separatists on their soil. He said on Sunday, “…the two issues are not necessarily the same.”
“When they brought up that issue, the Americans told us some specific things. What happens in international relations from time to time such challenges can arise. So we very sincerely have told the Canadians, saying that look it’s up to you, I mean your choice whether you would like us to pursue it, further look into it or not,” Jaishankar said at an event in Bengaluru on Sunday.
He said that not just Canada, “if any country has a concern and gives us some input or some basis for that concern, we are always open to looking at it. This is what countries do.”
A recap of Canada, US issues
Jaishankar’s comments came days after the US Justice Department claimed that an Indian government employee recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to allegedly carry out the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, which was foiled by US authorities.
ALSO READ: US is India’s ‘optimal choice’ as a partner, says Jaishankar
Meanwhile, in September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India dismissed this allegation as “absurd.”
Jaishankar had said earlier in December that India instituted an inquiry committee to look into the inputs received from the US in the case as the matter has a bearing on national security.
He, however, told the Rajya Sabha that there will be “no equitable treatment” to Canada’s allegations of a potential involvement of Indian agents in the killing of a Khalistani extremist as no specific evidence or inputs were provided to India by Ottawa, PTI reported.
“Insofar as the US is concerned, certain inputs were given to us as part of our security cooperation with the United States. Those inputs were of concern to us because they (were) related to the nexus of organised crime, trafficking and other matters,” he said.
Asked why there was no equitable treatment with regard to charges made by the Canadian government, Jaishankar said: “Insofar as Canada is concerned, no specific evidence or inputs were provided to us. So the question of equitable treatment to two countries, one of whom has provided input and one of whom has not, does not arise.”
According to Bloomberg, sources said that Canadian officials had shared evidence with New Delhi, including communications and phone numbers, before Trudeau went public with the allegations.
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Published: 17 Dec 2023, 04:40 PM IST
