Canadian attitude towards extremists is permissive: EAM Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said Canada had a “permissive attitude” towards terrorists and extremists who openly advocate violence and such people have been given “operating space” in the country.

Jaishankar said that the Canadian allegations with regard to the death of a Khalistani separatist were discussed during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken a day earlier and noted that the two delegations came out better informed after the meeting.

The Canadian Prime Minister, he said, made some allegations initially privately and then publicly. “Our response to him both in private and public was that his allegation was not consistent with our policy. And if he had, his government had anything relevant specifics, we would look into,” he said.

“We were open to looking at it now. That’s where that conversation is at this point of time,” Jaishankar said.

He said that for India, Canada has become a country where organised crime from India mixed with trafficking in people, mixed with secessionism and violence which is a very toxic combination of issues that people who have found operating space.

He acknowledged that there has been a lot between India and Canada on this issue preceding the remarks of the Canadian prime minister.

In the last few years, the issue of Khalistan has come back very much into play, because of what “we consider to be a very permissive Canadian attitude towards terrorists, extremists, people who openly advocate violence and they have been given operating space in Canada because of the compulsions of Canadian politics.” “For us, it has certainly been a country where organised crime from India, mixed with trafficking in people mixed with cessationism, violence, terrorism. It's a very toxic combination of issues and people who have found operating space there," Jaishankar said.The US side shared its  assessments on this whole situation and he explained to the Americans a summary of India’s concerns. 

Meanwhile, Blinken has urged India to "cooperate fully" with the ongoing Canadian investigation into the killing of a Khalistani separatist, a senior state department official said on Friday.

India angrily rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case.

The Canadian Prime Minister, he said, made some allegations initially privately and then publicly. “Our response to him both in private and public was that his allegation was not consistent with our policy. And if he had, his government had anything relevant specifics, we would look into,” he said.

Jaishankar said that for India, Canada has become a country where organized crime from India mixed with trafficking in people, mixed with secessionism and violence which is a very toxic combination of issues that people who have found operating space.

He acknowledged that there has been a lot between India and Canada on this issue preceding the remarks of the Canadian prime minister. The minister alleged that the security situation in Canada is not good. There are open threats against Indian diplomats, and they don’t feel safe. 

As a result, India has had to put a halt to its visa section. In Canada, he said, extremists and people are openly advocating violence and they have been given operating space in Canada.