Indian Ambassador to Canada Sanjay Verma

India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, described relations between the two countries as having “decade-old issues” that have resurfaced with unfortunate crimes and threats emanating from Canadian soil.

Speaking at an event in Montreal on Tuesday, the Indian envoy said that “Indians will decide what happens to India” and not foreigners.

“A lot of discussions are taking place at the government level, on both sides, and through diplomatic channels. These channels are not open to the public and they attempt to find solutions and solutions to issues of concern to both parties. And the way it is progressing, I think both sides will see the merit of resolving the issues, satisfying the concerns of both sides. My concern is national security, and the threats emanating from Canadian soil, these threats emanating largely from Canadian citizens… We are ready to sit down at the table any day, and we are . And, we are trying to resolve the issue,” Verma told the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations.

Verma further spoke on the current state of relations between Ottawa and New Delhi, saying, “If those people who are Indians living abroad want to decide the fate of India, it would be better if they go back and do the election process.” Participate in. India goes through the election process at the national level approximately every five years. Similarly, the states in India, as we call them here, also go through a similar exercise. .

He said, “When we call two countries partners, strategic partners, friends in bilateral relations, we expect that both countries understand each other’s point of view, understand each other’s concerns, understand each other’s cultural Respect diversity. Unfortunately, there have been some issues, and this is nothing new, decades old issues have resurfaced, resurfaced and unfortunate crimes have occurred involving people who are currently Canadian citizens whose origin is in India “

The envoy said that “there is no dual nationality in India”, which is why if someone is granted Canadian citizenship, for India, that person is technically a foreigner.

“Therefore, if someone becomes a Canadian citizen or a citizen of any other country, he is no longer an Indian citizen. So for us, technically the person is a foreigner. So if I say this, foreigners have a bad eye on the territorial integrity of India, this is a big danger line for us.”

These are Verma’s first comments after the RCMP arrested three Indian nationals in connection with the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Amid rising tensions between India and Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs also expressed strong condemnation regarding the tableau used in the Nagar Kirtan Parade in Ontario and said that “celebration and glorification of violence” should not be accepted in a civilized society.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday also raised concerns about the security of India’s diplomatic representatives in Canada and expected the Justin Trudeau government to ensure that “they carry out their responsibilities without any fear.”

This comes after some Khalistani supporters raised “anti-India slogans” during the Nagar Kirtan Parade organized by the Ontario Gurdwara Committee (OGC) in Canada.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called on IndiaIAD to stop providing safe haven to criminals.

“We are concerned about the safety of our diplomatic representatives in Canada and hope that the Government of Canada will ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear,” he said.

It is noteworthy that in the last few years, many incidents of Khalistan extremism have come to light in Canada. Even when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in India for the G20 summit, a so-called referendum was organized by Khalistani separatists in Surrey British Columbia.

In June last year, a tableau parade was organized in Canada to commemorate the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, which was strongly criticized by New Delhi. In March this year, Khalistan supporters had protested outside the Indian Embassy in Canada.

They raised pro-Khalistan slogans and allegedly assaulted Indian-origin journalists present at the spot.

Several temples have also been vandalized with anti-India graffiti by pro-Khalistan protesters in Canada.