Days after an offensive video from a pro-Khalistan group threatening Hindus in Canada to leave the country went viral, top federal public safety officials and politicians have denounced the 'online hate video' and asserted that Hindus are 'safe and welcome'.
India, Canada relations have nosedived after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations last month linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.
The United States, Canada and the United Nations have condemned the Iranian air attack on Israel, with President Joe Biden reaffirming America's 'ironclad commitment' to the Jewish nation and vowing to convene a meeting of the G-7 leaders on Sunday to develop a coordinated response to the brazen assault.
India on Thursday described as 'matter of serious concern' reports that said some members of the Indian community in Canadian province of British Columbia received 'extortion calls'.
'The Americans want to have a good relationship with India. They see it as a counterweight to China. And also American businesses are all trying to get out of China and go to India and Vietnam as well, but India largely.'
Scenes from the NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023.
Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin were in Delhi for the fifth edition of the '2+2' dialogue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday welcomed a host of world leaders, including United States President Joe Biden and United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, at the Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the G20 Summit.
In its report, The Intercept claimed that the Indian government issued instructions on a "crackdown scheme" against certain Sikh entities in western countries.
During the interview which will be aired on Sunday, Verma was asked why India was not cooperating with Canada in the investigation. To this, he said, '...even without an investigation being concluded, India was convicted'. "Is that the rule of law?" Verma asked.
Two weeks ago, New Delhi asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in India.
With the backdrop of the famous wheel from the Konark Sun temple in Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra D Modi welcomed G20 leaders at the Bharat Mandapam, venue of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, on Saturday, September 9, 2023.
United States fighter jets on Saturday shot down an unidentified, unmanned high-altitude airborne object over northern Canada that had entered its airspace from Alaska, President Joe Biden said.
India has constituted a high-level inquiry committee to probe allegations relating to a conspiracy to kill a Sikh extremist on American soil.
'In the long run, I don't foresee major ramifications [about Trudeau's allegations].' 'There's just enough hypocrisy among Western nations for India to douse the outrage.'
The Canadian government has said the circulation of an online video in which Hindu Canadians are told to leave the country is offensive and hateful, asserting that acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear have no place in Canada.
Canada has evacuated a majority of its diplomats working in India outside of New Delhi to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore after it gave Ottawa an October 10 deadline to reduce its diplomatic staff to achieve parity in strength following a row over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to a media report on Friday.
The United States has said there ought to be a full and fair investigation into Canada's allegations that the Indian government was involved in the killing of a separatist Sikh leader in British Columbia earlier this year.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that the Canadian allegations with regard to the death of a Khalistani separatist was discussed during his meeting with the Secretary of State Tony Blinken a day earlier and noted that the two delegations came out "better informed" after the meeting.
He said that Canada recognises the impact that some of these measures may have and at the same time it's another reason why he placed such emphasis on the investigation that's taking place that they are able to move beyond credible intelligence to evidence, strong evidence of exactly what happened.
'We have had numerous conversations with India before the Prime Minister went in front of the house and made his declaration. This was not a surprise to the Government of India and through these different conversations, the Indian officials were made aware of the credible allegations'
Amid the ongoing diplomatic tussle between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a group of hackers claiming to be Indian Cyber Force temporarily disabled the official website of Canadian army, The Telegraph, London, reported on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Rajpreet Singh, Virender Singh, Sachin Bhati, Arpit Dhankar and Susheel Pradhan, the police said.
'If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.'
The escalating tensions between India and Canada have put Indian IT companies in a wait-and-watch mode but industry experts believe that there are no immediate areas of concern at this moment. Apex IT association Nasscom, in a statement, said since this is an evolving situation, it will continue to engage with stakeholders to track any potential areas of impact that may need support.
'Countries like Israel said openly that they will hunt people down. We have no such policy.' 'We have always been following the legal process of getting them (people wanted by India) through extradition.'
According to the Peel Regional Police, on the night of October 2, it received reports of shots fired in the area of Donald Stewart Road and Brisdale Drive in Brampton.
The United States embassy on Thursday trashed reports that American Ambassador Eric Garcetti alerted his team about possible impact of New Delhi's diplomatic spat with Ottawa on India-United States relations.
Prime Minister Narendra D Modi will hold over 15 meetings with visiting leaders between Friday, September 8, 2023, and Sunday, September 10, 2023 during the G20 summit in Delhi.
Hitting out at Canada, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said it is necessary to call out things like violence, threats and intimidation against Indian diplomats and missions and wondered if this had happened to any other country would the world have taken it with equanimity.
"One, we told the Canadians that this is not the Government of India's policy," Jaishankar said. "Two, we told the Canadians saying that look, if you have something specific, if you have something relevant, let us know. We are open to looking at it," Jaishankar said while responding to a question from former US ambassador to India and CFR Distinguished Fellow Kenneth Juster, in his first public comments on the issue.
The immigration tribunal ruled that the Sikh man who "housed and fed" armed Khalistani militants in India over a decade should be allowed into Canada because he did so "mostly out of necessity" and fear of retribution, the paper said.
G20 leaders, including United States President Joe Biden, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial Rajghat in New Delhi on Sunday.
At least 10 people have been killed and 15 injured in a series of stabbing attacks in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
The United Kingdom has shown its disagreement with India's action after the India-Canada standoff which resulted in the departure of 41 Canadian diplomats from India and called for resolution of differences through discussion.
As its diplomatic row with Canada escalates over the killing of a Khalistani separatist, India has apprised its key Western partners and friends about its concerns over increasing activities of anti-India elements from Canadian soil, sources said on Thursday.
Before the group photo session, US President Biden walked towards Prime Minister Modi and exchanged pleasantries and warmly shook hands.
In a strongly-worded advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi referred to "threats" targeting Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community that oppose the "anti-India agenda", and asked Indian nationals to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada which have seen such incidents.
The issue was raised by Secretary of State Tony Blinken during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington, DC last week.
Sukhu met Modi and discussed various issues related to Himachal Pradesh during the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday.
