India on Thursday held the Justin Trudeau administration in Canada responsible for ‘precipitating’ the current diplomatic crisis while acknowledging the “vibrant” people-to-people ties between the two nations.
“India-Canada economic ties are very strong and vibrant. We have large Indian diaspora in Canada which is a bridge through which we maintain strong people-to-people links with Canada.We have possibly the largest cohort of international students in Canada as well,” MEA spokesperson Jaiswal said in a press briefing.
“This particular [diplomatic] crisis has been precipitated by Trudeau government‘s baseless allegations. This is how we see the relationship going forward,” he added.
No shred of evidence shared by Canada: India
Reiterating New Delhi’s long-standing claim that the allegations levelled by the Trudeau government in regards to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Nijjar are “baseless” and made with an intention to “smear” India, Jaiswal pointed to Trudeau’s recent admission that Ottawa held no “hard evidence” at the beginning to accuse Indian involvement in the killing.
“Since 2023, Canada hasn’t shared a shed of evidence. So far Canada has given no evidence,” said Jaiswal.
The MEA also reiterated its accusation that Ottawa was driven by a domestic political motive to tarnish New Delhi’s image on the global stage. “This pattern motivated by Canadian political motivations. Clear pattern to smear India for the reasons best known to them,” he said.
’26 extradition requests made but no action so far’
When asked about the extradition requests made by India, he said 26 extradition requests were made so far, to which he said Canada has taken no action.
” There are 26 extradition requests pending with Canadian side, these are over the last decade or more, along with that there are several provisional arrest requests which are also pending with Canadian side of certain criminals…we had shared security related information with the Canadian govt regarding gang members including those of Lawrence Bishnoi gang and requested them to arrest them (criminals)…so far no action has been taken by Canadian side on our request,” he said.
India confirms ‘CC 1’ no longer govt employee
The MEA also addressed questions on the ongoing investigation over alleged Indian involvement in the “foiled” attempt to kill Gurupatwant Singh Pannun.
Earlier, after the United States alluded that the former RAW officer identified as ‘CC 1’ allegedly involved in the failed plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is “no longer an employee of the Indian government”, the MEA spokesperson confirmed the information but stayed away from addressing that further.
” He is not part of the government of India setup. Beyond that I have nothing to share,” Jaiswal said.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, said that the high-level Indian inquiry committee had a “productive meeting” with US government officials on Tuesday, during which both sides shared updates on their respective investigations into the Pannun case.
The US had announced the visit of the high-level Indian inquiry committee on Monday after the diplomatic blowback between New Delhi and Ottawa over Canada’s suggestion of Indian diplomats’ involvement in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar assassination case.
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