Democracies have responsibilities to each other: Jaishankar's message to Canada

Democratic nations have responsibilities to each other, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Canberra Monday, sending out a message to Ottawa for allowing 'Sikhs for Justice' (SFJ) to hold referendums in Canada to mobilise support for the secession of Khalistan from India.

“As to the Khalistani issue that you have raised, you know from time to time we have engaged the Canadian government,” Jaishankar said responding to a question while addressing a news conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. “I have myself engaged my counterpart (in the Canadian Government) on this issue and we have flagged the need to ensure that freedoms in a democratic society are not misused by forces which actually advocate violence and bigotry.”

The anti-India activities of the SFJ in Canada have of late once reemerged as an irritant in New Delhi’s relations with Ottawa.

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New Delhi had asked Ottawa to stop the SFJ from holding the referendum on Khalistan in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, however, declined to do so, pointing out that any organization had the right to peacefully and democratically express its opinion in a democracy. The SFJ, known for its stand on the secession of Khalistan from India, went ahead and held the referendum in Brampton on September 18.

The SFJ is now planning to hold the second phase of referendums on the issue of 'Khalistan' in Toronto on November 6.

“So, it's important, I think, for countries to understand today really how democracies should function not only at home, but also the responsibilities the democracies have to other democracies abroad,” Jaishankar said in Canberra on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government issued an advisory on September 23 last for the students and other citizens of India currently in Canada as well those planning to visit the North American country. It advised the students to exercise “due caution and remain vigilant” in view of the “sharp increase” in the incidents of hate crimes and anti-India activities in Canada.

The Modi Government’s move came after the recent vandalisation of the Swaminarayan Temple and the Vishnu Temple in Toronto in Canada. The slogans like “Khalistan Zindabad” and “Hindustan Murdabad” were spray-painted on the walls of the shrines.

Ottawa already retaliated to New Delhi’s September 23 advisory. It updated its own advisory for the citizens of Canada, asking them to avoid travelling to territories within 10 kms of India’s border with neighbouring Pakistan, citing the “presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance” in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab. Canada also asked its citizens staying in India or travelling to India to “exercise a high degree of caution” due to the “threat of terrorist attacks throughout the country”.