“It is about permissiveness in regard to terrorism and violence” says Jaishankar amidst ongoing showdown between India & Canada

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has stated that the ongoing problem with Canada has been a persistent issue for the last couple of years, owing to the Canadian Government’s “permissiveness" toward terrorism, extremism, and violence. He also stated that the Modi government has always prioritized the concerns of the Sikh community and that the extremist elements are only a "small minority" that do not accurately represent the ethos of the entire community. "Everyone is aware of the amount of attention that the Modi government has paid to the issues of the Sikh community in the last 10 years and the suggestions it has made”, said S. Jaishankar addressing a press conference in Washington DC on Friday.

When presented with the "Khalistan" issue and the entailing concerns of the Sikh community, the External Affairs Minister said that the complaints do not represent the opinions of the entire community. "I do not believe that the discussions that are taking place right now are the representative issues of the entire community (Sikhs). Those who talk about terrorism, the separatist people, whose arguments include violence...this is a small minority, and the respective governments should take unbiased actions. We should not take this as a matter of the entire community"said the External Affairs minister.

"The fact is that we have had an ongoing problem with Canada and the Canadian government for some years now. And the ongoing problem really revolves around the permissiveness in regard to terrorism, extremism and violence," said S Jaishankar highlighting that the problem with Canada has been a persistent issue for the last couple of years, owing to the Canadian Government’s “permissiveness" toward terrorism, extremism, and violence. "This permissiveness is also reflected in the fact that some important extradition requests have not been responded to from their side. In fact, that there are individuals and organizations who are clearly involved with violence and illegal activities in India, who themselves have declared it...I mean it is not a secret", the Eternal Affairs Minister added.

On September 18, Trudeau informed the Canadian House of Commons that Canadian security agencies had been actively looking into "credible allegations of a potential link" between the killing of Nijjar and representatives of the Indian government. He then urged the Indian Government to work with Canada "to get to the bottom of this matter." India, on the other hand, has categorically denied the accusations, labeling them as "absurd" and "motivated."

Following the Trudeau’s allegations, India has suspended visa services in Canada. Moreover, India has urged its citizens and travelers to Canada to exercise "extreme caution amid anti-Indian activities and politically motivated racial crimes and criminal violence."