NEW DELHI– India on Friday placed the onus on Canada to guarantee the safety of Indian diplomatic missions following reports of escalating Khalistani threats against its consulates, including the mission in Vancouver.
“It is the responsibility of the Canadian government or the host government wherever we are, wherever we have diplomatic establishments, to provide security as and when there is a concern,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly briefing. “We do take it up with the concerned side, in this case, Canada, to ensure that there is adequate security of our diplomatic premises.”
The remarks came a day after the National Security Advisors of India and Canada met as part of their ongoing bilateral security consultations. Jaiswal noted that Thursday’s talks also built on discussions held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Carney during their June 18 meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Alberta.
That meeting, described by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri as “very positive and constructive,” aimed at mending ties that had soured in recent years. Both leaders agreed to restore High Commissioners to each other’s capitals and revive senior-level dialogues on trade, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges.
India last month appointed Dinesh K. Patnaik, former Ambassador to Spain, as its new High Commissioner to Ottawa — filling a post left vacant since October 2014, when New Delhi recalled Sanjay Kumar Verma over what it called then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “hostility” and tolerance of extremist groups.
Relations between the two countries hit a nadir last year after Trudeau told Canada’s Parliament that there were “credible allegations” linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Ottawa escalated the matter by labeling India’s High Commissioner and other diplomats as “persons of interest.”
India dismissed the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated,” accusing Canada of giving space to anti-India elements and extremist voices.
The latest exchanges signal an attempt to stabilize relations, but New Delhi’s message Friday underscored that Canada bears full responsibility for protecting Indian missions as threats from Khalistani groups persist. (Source: IANS)
