NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S
Jaishankar
on Monday said that India has not received any information that is specific and worthy of investigation by its probe agencies regarding the fourth arrest made by
Canada
in connection with the killing of Khalistan separatist and designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“We have long maintained that if any event or violence in Canada has any evidence or information that is relevant to be investigated in India, we are open to investigating it,” he said, adding, “To date, we have never received anything specific or worthy of being investigated by our investigative agencies.”
This comes following the arrest of Amardeep Singh, a 22-year-old resident of Brampton, Surrey, and Abbotsford areas in Canada on May 11, marking the fourth arrest of an Indian national in connection with the case.
Jaishankar on India-China relations
Jaishankar also slammed the Congress for holding Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for ‘Nehru’s actions’, for border disputes with China.
“Indian land was taken by China between 1958-1962. When you say land taken by China, please understand that this land was lost in 1962. I see efforts to mislead the country. Congress is holding Modi responsible for Nehru’s actions in 1949 and Bhutto’s actions in 1963. But apparently, they have no culpability,” he said.
The EAM also said that despite facing challenges from China, including violations of agreements and troop build-up along the border, India responded by deploying record numbers of troops.
“Yes, there is a challenge from China, yes, it has violated agreements and sent a large number of troops to the border. But the country should take pride in the fact that despite Covid, we counter-deployed and sent a record number of troops to the border. Those troops today are holding their own. The country should be supporting the military, not running them down. This running down your own people, your forces is a sad thing. A lot of the country is very unhappy about it,” said Jaishankar.
EAM on India’s bid for a permanent UNSC seat
The EAM also expressed his optimism regarding India’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), stating that the negotiations have intensified.
“Today the direction in the world is much more in favour of reforming the UN and supporting India’s candidature. Globally, the mood is shifting towards India. We are hopeful, the negotiations have become a little bit more serious than they were in the past.”
Earlier in April, Jaishankar had expressed confidence that India will secure permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council. He acknowledged a growing global sentiment favoring India’s inclusion but emphasised the need for intensified efforts to achieve this goal.
“But now, there is a feeling across the world that this should change, and India should get a permanent seat. I see this feeling increasing every year,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
