'For 40yrs you failed...': Indian envoy slams Canada over terrorism
What's the story
India's High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, has accused Canadian authorities of failing to tackle terrorist elements on their soil for four decades. In an interview with Canada's state broadcaster CBC, Patnaik said this inaction has created a permissive environment for extremism and violence targeting India. The interview comes amid British Columbia Premier David Eby's trade mission to India and Ottawa's attempts at thawing relations with New Delhi.
Unresolved issues
High Commissioner questions Canada's response to terrorism
Patnaik also slammed CBC anchor's claims of Canadian intelligence linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. "Where is the evidence?" he asked, stressing that accusations without evidence are easy but unsubstantiated. He pointed to Canada's failure to prosecute or dismantle extremist networks, citing unresolved cases like the 1985 Air India bombing that killed 329 people. "The investigation into the Air India bombing has still not yielded anything," he said.
Accusations
Patnaik accuses Canada of double standards
Patnaik accused Canada of applying double standards, like demanding evidence from India when it flags suspected terrorists operating in Canada but expecting answers to unproven allegations against the Indian state. "When I accuse you and you tell me evidence is not enough, I agree with it," he said. "When you accuse me and I tell you evidence is not enough, please accept it with the same alacrity," he added.
Stance
Patnaik reiterates India's stance on terrorism
He also rejected suggestions that holding separatist referendums was a core complaint for India, clarifying, "We never said holding referendum is a crime." Patnaik reiterated India's position that law is innocent until proven guilty. He said any reset in relations requires a different Canadian approach to security. "When we provide the information to the Canadian side that these are terrorists who are active...the Canadian side [says] there is not enough evidence for us to take action against them," he said.