Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrives for the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting at the Parliament House during the Winter session.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said there was no question of “equitable treatment” of the United States and Canada with regard to claims of involvement of Indian officials in the killing or its planning of Khalistani operative in foreign soil, as Washington has provided with evidence while Ottawa has not.
Jaishankar's remarks came in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour when CPI(M) MP John Brittas asked whether it was a fact that there is "no equitable treatment" of the US and Canada on the issue and sought details about the status of the charges levelled in the US while referring to media reports on the issue.
The Minister said the US has provided "certain inputs" as part of India's security cooperation with Washington and "those inputs were of concern to us" because they were related to the "nexus of organised crime, trafficking and other matters".
“So, because it has a bearing on our own national security, it was decided to institute an inquiry into the matter and an inquiry committee has been constituted. Insofar as Canada is concerned, no specific evidence or inputs were provided to us,” he said.
"So, the question of equitable treatment to two countries, one of whom has provided inputs and one of whom has not, does not arise,” he added.
The issue was raised days after the US claimed an Indian link to a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist on its soil.
Last month, the US federal prosecutors had indicted Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who was with working at the behest of an Indian agent based in New Delhi, in connection with the foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist who holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada.
With the Americans providing information about it, the government set up a committee to probe the matter. However, India's response to Canada when its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointed fingers at the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in Canada on June 18 was different.
India had strongly rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and has been asking Canada to provide evidence to suggest so. The incident had triggered a diplomatic war between both the countries.