MELBOURNE: The Australian foreign minister on Tuesday said that she has raised accusations of targeting Sikh activists in Canada with her Indian counterpart.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that Canadian allegations came under discussion during her meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar while he was on a visit to Canberra.
India has dismissed allegations of Canada that Sikh activists were targeted on the orders of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah in the North American state.
Wong at a press conference said that people have a right to be safe and respected in Australia, regardless of their religious beliefs and this is her message to the Sikh community.
“We’ve made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation. We’ve said that we respect Canada’s judicial process,” Wong said at a news conference with Jaishankar.
“We convey our views to India as you would expect us to do and we have a principled position in relation to matters such as the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and also, frankly, the sovereignty of all countries,” she added.
Jaishankar in his remarks said that Canada has put Indian diplomats under strict surveillance, which is not acceptable.
Canada, India at the Lowest Ebb
Relations between Canada and India deteriorated after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year said there were credible allegations that the Indian government had links to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
After the diplomatic row, both countries expelled each side’s top diplomats last month. Canada is not the only country in the world that has accused Indian officials of plotting killings on foreign soil.
Australia and India's partnership is central to the peace, stability and prosperity of our shared region.
Today, I welcomed my good friend @DrSJaishankar to Canberra for the 15th Australia-India Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue. pic.twitter.com/ohIqA7BAMP
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) November 5, 2024
The United States Justice Department levelled criminal charges against an Indian government employee for his involvement in a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City in mid-October.
According to the Justice Department, Vikash Yadav, designed the New York plot from India. Currently, he is facing murder-for-hire charges in an alleged planned killing in the US.
The Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been holding independent referendums in the US, Canada and Europe on creating Khalistan, a Sikh homeland. During an interview with the media, he clarified that his movement advocates a peaceful resolution of the issue and will continue his efforts despite threats to his life.
