'Freedom of Speech in Many Countries, But...': EAM on Canada Row, Says 'There is Room for Diplomacy'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said “there is room for diplomacy” to address the diplomatic tensions between India and Canada. He voiced hope that soon New Delhi and Ottawa would find a way to resolve the issue.

His remarks came amid simmering tensions between both countries following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in Delhi, Jaishankar said that diplomatic channels are open for resolution but “no country should allow freedom of speech to become a free pass for extremists to intimidate and propagate violence”.

“There are many countries where there is freedom of speech like India but it cannot be a license for intimidation and propagation of violence or separatism. We have seen activities that have been justified in the garb of freedom. This cannot work all the time,” he said.

“I have a very simple smell test for every country in the world. If you think that’s right, would you like that to be done to you? And mostly I don’t get an answer,” the minister added.

Notably, India has angrily rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case.

On October 22, Jaishankar asserted that New Delhi’s decision on ensuring parity in diplomatic presence with that country is in line with the Vienna Convention. His comments had come days after Ottawa pulled out 41 of its diplomats from India. “We have not made much of that public. My sense is that over a period of time, more stuff will come out and people will understand why we had the kind of discomfort with many of them which we did,” he had said, replying to a question on the India-Canada ties at an interactive session.

Recently, India’s high commission in Canada said that the country’s officials will resume processing some types of visa applications for Canadians applying from across the country as well as abroad. Canada had welcomed this move and called it a “good sign”.