Canberra: Days after a Hindu temple was attacked Brampton, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar slammed Canada over the incident and accused it of providing ‘political space’ to terrorists in the country. The minister’s remark came during a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.
Earlier on Sunday, Khalistani supporters had allegedly clashed with some people at the Hindu Sabha temple. The incident led to the disruption of a consular event that was organised by the Indian Consulate and temple authorities. Jaishankar, while referring to Canada’s allegations against India on the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, S Jaishankar said Canada has developed an habit of making developed a pattern of making allegations without any substance.
‘Canada put Indian diplomats under surveillance illegally’
During the briefing, the minister also observed that Canada put Indian diplomats under surveillance illegally, calling it “unacceptable”. Asking people to look at the video, the minister pointed out that the same helps people understand how political space has been granted to extremists in Canada.
Jaishankar met Australia Deputy Minister Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and shared Indo-Pacific and regional developments. Taking to X later, he wrote, “Pleased to meet DPM & Defence Minister Richard Marles today. Spoke about the strong momentum in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Shared perspectives on Indo-Pacific and regional developments. The minister is on a five-day visit to Australia. He is scheduled to meet Australian parliamentarians, leadership members of the Indian diaspora, media, think tanks, and the business community.
Jaishankar on a five-day visit to Australia
He also co-chaired 15th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue (FMFD) with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Notably, India and Australia, apart from Japan and the US are part of the QUAD bloc, an important platform in the Pacific region. He is on a five-day visit to the country.
