External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday called out Canada over double standards while speaking of the ongoing rift between New Delhi and Ottawa over the ongoing investigations into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Speaking during the NDTV World Summit, Jaishankar attacked Canada over the police inquiry into Nijjar's killing and said Canada seems to have a problem if Indian diplomats are trying to make efforts to find out what is happening in Canada on matters directly pertaining to their welfare and security.
"Where Canada is concerned, I think there are some very specific issues... Canada asked us to subject our High Commissioner to a police inquiry and we chose to withdraw the High Commissioner and diplomats. They seem to have a problem if Indian diplomats are even trying to make efforts to find out what is happening in Canada on matters which directly pertain to their welfare and security," Jaishankar said during the conference.
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"But look what happens in India. Canadian diplomats have no problem going around collecting information on our military, police, profiling people, targeting people to be stopped in Canada. So apparently, the license that they give themselves is totally different from the kind of restrictions that they impose on diplomats in Canada," he added.
Hitting out at Canada for practising double standards, the External Affairs Minister said Ottawa openly attacks Indian leaders and diplomats citing freedom of speech, but when an Indian journalist makes any comment on social media, Canada terms it as foreign interference.
"When we tell them you have people openly threatening leaders of India, diplomats of India. Their answer is freedom of speech. When Indian journalists make social media comments, if you threaten the Indian High Commissioner, he is supposed to accept it as freedom of speech. But if an Indian journalist says the Canadian High Commissioner walked out of South Block looking very grumpy, it is apparently foreign interference... Double standards is a very mild word for that," he said.
To a question on whether Canada is problematic for India, Jaishankar said, "Unfortunately, I agree there."
Elaborating on the diplomatic row with Canada, Jaishankar said there are two issues: a general Western issue and a Canada-specific one.
"The Western issue has been that the world order after 1945 was heavily Western... After 1990s it was again very Western. What has happened in the last 20-25 years is that there is a rebalancing a multipolarity, many non-Western countries have a bigger share, contribution, role and an influence," Jaishankar said.
"The equations between the West and the non-West, I think, is changing and it's not an easy to adjust to that. If you have been dominant and you are less dominant, there was a time when you were looking up and I was looking down and now the conversation is not like that. It takes a little bit of getting used to," he added.
He said that the natural diversity of the world has started to express itself. He further said that when many countries like India or China have points of view and positions to take there will be contestations, frictions and arguments.
The ties between India and Canada hit rock bottom after Canada linked Indian envoy to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and some other Indian diplomats to the case. Last week, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced that it would be withdrawing its High Commissioner from Canada.
The Canadian authorities have accused Indian agents of involvement in homicides, extortion and violent acts targeting pro-Khalistan supporters, a charge rejected by New Delhi.
India has reiterated that Canada has not shared any evidence with the Indian authorities regarding the murder of pro-Khalistan Sikh radical Hardeep Singh Nijjar that is acceptable in a court of law.