Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma said that India “was convicted” even before the investigation into the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June of this year, Canadian outlet CTV News reported on Sunday.
Canada and India’s relations strained following Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s allegations of the participation of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar, which India dismissed as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Sanjay Verma Comments on India’s Cooperation
Verma made the statements during an interview with CTV News. He was questioned during the interview regarding why India was not cooperating with Canada in the investigation. To this, he responded, “There are two points. One is that even before the investigation was completed, India was convicted. Is that a rule of law?”
When asked how India was convicted, Verma stated, “Because India was asked to cooperate. And if you look at the typical criminal terminology, when someone asks us to cooperate which means that you have already been convicted, and you better cooperate. So we took it in a very different interpretation.”
"Even without investigation, India was convicted, is that a rule of law?", says Indian high commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma on Nijjar row; Adds,"we always said, if anything specific & communicated to us, we will look into it"pic.twitter.com/kBv5w6VA7q
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) November 25, 2023
Verma said that India was ready to investigate any “specific and relevant” findings to back up Trudeau’s allegation. “But we always said that if there is anything specific and relevant, and communicated to us, we will look into it. And that had been said from day one. So we have never said, of course, we have not used the word cooperate, because we feel that’s humiliating” he asserted.
“Whether we call it a credible allegation, that’s the choice of word, but it’s an allegation. So from the Indian government’s side, I can assure you and your viewers that there was no government hand in the shooting of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, as it is always called,” Verma added.
He also noted that India adheres to principles outlined in the Indian constitution. “We are a country of rule of law, and all the freedoms and everything has been given in the Indian Constitution, which was in 1950, when we adopted our Constitution. So they are our pillars. [We] will not go beyond that.”
US Inputs “Legally Presentable”: High Commissioner
Regarding US allegations that India plotted to assassinate a Khalistani member on US soil, Verma indicated that his perception is that Washington shared more specific evidence with New Delhi than Canadian authorities. He pointed out that this is likely the distinguishing element in the level of cooperation in both situations.
Why is India not cooperating in an investigation into the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, but is cooperating in an American investigation into an alleged thwarted assassination attempt?
— CTV Question Period (@ctvqp) November 26, 2023
India’s High Commissioner says “the U.S. did provide inputs” and India is looking for… pic.twitter.com/XJHZH2InL3
Verma's comments came as the Financial Times claimed last week that American officials had “thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate” American-Canadian Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil and “issued a warning to India's government over concerns it was involved in the plot.”
Verma said that while US-India relations are not within his jurisdiction, it is his understanding that Indian officials are assisting in the American investigation since US officials shared “inputs which are legally presentable.”
“The US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gunrunners, terrorists and others. The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries. And they decided to take necessary follow-up action,” the Indian diplomat added.
“The investigation in the case of the US as far as I know and understand [...] is at a much [more] advanced stage, and therefore, I presume, that there would be better information shared with India,” Verma remarked.
Expelling Canadian Diplomats Based on ‘Emotional Element’: Sanjay Verma
Verma also claimed that India’s move to expel a Canadian diplomat and revoke diplomatic immunity for dozens of other envoys was retaliatory and based in part on “an emotional element,” adding that current ties between the two nations are better than they were two months ago.
“Since one of our principal diplomats was expelled from here [Canada] as persona non grata, so yes, we did retaliate on that,” Verma stated. “Any action will have a reaction, and similarly, we declared persona non grata on one of the Canadian diplomats who was at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, and others are in the process of evaluation.”
“The events which unfolded after the [Justin Trudeau's] statements were made, we did not feel it was very friendly,” Verma added.
When questioned why there did not seem to be an issue in terms of the number of diplomats in both nations prior to September, Verma said Trudeau’s allegations affected the Indian government’s assessment.
“The emotions became very high once the statements were made from Ottawa,” he claimed. “And a bit of emotional elements will be there, and the decisions are taken.”
India Resumes E-Visa Services for Canadians
According to reports, India resumed e-visa services for Canadian nationals last week after a two-month pause.
Commenting on the suspension of e-visa services, Verma said, “When we suspended the e-visa services, and other visa services as well, the main concern was our security and safety, and the security of not only myself, in person, my console generals and other consular staff, other diplomatic staff.”
Verma indicated that, following a continual evaluation, the security situation between the two nations had improved in the last two months.
Additionally, Verma mentioned that India’s “main concern” in its ties with Canada is that “some Canadian citizens are using Canadian soil to launch attacks on [India’s] sovereignty and territorial integrity,” addressing the Sikh separatist movement.
“India and Canada are both members of the UN. UN Article 2(4) very clearly states, and the spirit is that no country should allow its oil to be used to target other countries’ sovereignty and integrity, or territorial integrity,” Verma explained.
In his concluding remarks, Verma stated that Canada and India are engaging in “more dialogue” to determine ways to “facilitate a better diplomatic presence” in both nations.