Indian diplomats were threatened in Canada, Jaishankar said – action should be taken against Khalistanis…

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Indian diplomats were harassed in Canada in more ways than one and received little help from the Justin Trudeau government at the time, which led India to suspend issuing visas to Canada. India had temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens, days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged ‘possible’ involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in September 2023.

India categorically rejected these allegations as absurd and motivated. Due to tensions between India and Canada, Indian diplomats faced threats in Canada at that time. Visa services for Canada were resumed several weeks later. We had to suspend issuing visas to Canada because our diplomats were not safe to go to work. Our diplomats were repeatedly threatened. They were intimidated in many ways and we got very little comfort from the Canadian system, Jaishankar said at an event organized by TV9 network. The Foreign Minister said it reached the level where he, as a minister, could no longer expose diplomats to the violence prevalent in Canada at that time. He also said that the situation has improved since then.

He said we reached a situation where as a minister I could no longer risk exposing diplomats to the kind of violence that was clearly prevalent in Canada at that time. That part of it has been fixed. Today, our visa operations are largely normal. Asked about the space given to pro-Khalistan elements in Canada, Jaishankar cited several instances when smoke bombs were thrown at Indian missions in the North American country. Jaishankar said throwing smoke bombs at embassies and consulates, advocating violence against a friendly state and separatism is not freedom of expression, it is abuse of freedom of expression. He said that the culprits involved in these attacks should be punished. However, this is not the first time that India has raised the issue of harboring separatists, terrorists and anti-India elements in Canada.