In a recent interview with NDTV, India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, criticised Canada’s political environment, alleging that it backs extreme and separatist organisations. After terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar of Khalistani was killed in June 2023, India and Canada were at a loss for words. This is when Jaishankar made his remarks.
Jaishankar expressed India’s disappointment over Canada’s refusal to share information regarding any concerns they might have had regarding Nijjar’s activities. Instead, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused Indian government agents of Nijjar’s assassination outside a gurdwara in Surrey city, igniting a significant diplomatic row.
The External Affairs Minister faulted Canada’s political environment for accommodating extremist elements, attributing it as a major factor influencing Canada’s recent actions toward India. According to Jaishankar, Canada’s tolerance of extremism within its politics has led to numerous problems, including the strained relations between the two countries.
For a while now, Canada has allowed terrorists and radicals to influence its politics. This, in my opinion, is a political weakness of theirs. This has led to a great deal of issues there. “It wasn’t supposed to happen,” Jaishankar said in the interview.
The remarks made by Jaishankar emphasize the growing strain that exists between Canada and India and the necessity for both countries to resolve underlying problems and promote positive diplomatic engagement.
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