India on Friday reacted to Canadian Parliament’s recent gesture commemorating murdered Khalistani separatist-terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The external affairs ministry said in its weekly press briefing that India opposes moves that give political space to extremism and advocate violence.
“We naturally oppose any moves giving political space to extremism and advocacy of violence,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
The Canadian Parliament on Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Khalistani separatist-terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar by holding a moment of silence in the House of Commons.
Government officials speaking to CNN-News18 said that such a gesture by the Canadian government ‘is not new’. “This is not new and they openly support Khalistani groups. Drug money and (proceeds from) weapons smuggling is used for attacking India and radicalising Indian youth. Nijjar was a Babbar Khalsa Associate and involved in multiple terror activities in India,” the officials said.
Jaiswal on Friday also said that India on Thursday lodged a strong protest with Canada over Khalistani extremists holding a so-called “citizens court” and burning an effigy of the Indian prime minister outside the Indian consulate in Vancouver.
A separate report by news agency PTI said that India issued a diplomatic note to the Canadian high commission conveying its serious objection to the latest actions by the Khalistani elements.
The report said that India communicated to the high commission its anguish over the space being given to the Khalistani separatists in Canada by the Justin Trudeau government.
Nijjar’s death and Canada’s allegation that Indian officials were involved in the killing has strained ties between Ottawa and New Delhi.
Nijjar was gunned down in Canada’s Surrey, outside a parking lot on June 18 last year. The Indian government had put him on a list of ‘designated terrorists’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing.
New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”.
India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.
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