The Indian consulate in San Fransisco was attacked and set on fire on Sunday. This is of high concern as it was the second such attack within the last four months. The US has strongly condemned vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
EMA S Jaishankar has given a stern warning to the partner nations saying very clearly that giving a free run to Khalistani activists will not go well on our relations.
India has a large number of Sikh diaspora in Canada, Australia, the UK and the USA and Pro-Khalistani activities are challenging India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity from these foreign lands. Recently there were reports of posters being circulated in Canada to inform pro-Khalistan residents of a rally on 8th July. These posters, titled “Khalistan Freedom Rally” had photos of two Indian diplomats, Sanjay Verma and Apoorva Shrivastava, currently posted in Canada, holding them responsible for the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar who headed the terrorist outfit “Khalistan Tiger Force” (KTF) was shot dead last month. His name was on the designated terrorist list released by the government. He was also associated with the secessionist outfit Sikh For Justice (SFJ).
In March this year, Khalistani supporters protested outside the Indian Embassy in Canada raising pro-Khalistani slogans, where they allegedly assaulted Indian-origin Journalists as well. In another event last month, a tableau parade was organised by the Khalistani activists in Ontario to glorify the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi. It also had a poster that said “Revenge of attack on Shri Darbar Sahib”.
Responding to these activities, Mr. Jaishankar asked why the Canadian authorities are giving space to extremists and people who promote violence. He said that the radical extremist ideology of the Khalistanis is not good for India or Canada as well as our relationship.
While speaking at a town hall meeting at the India International Centre in New Delhi, the minister said that Ottawa was probably driven by vote-bank politics in responding to these activities. He said that conversations with Canada on the issue have been continuously dissatisfactory and this has impacted our ties in many ways.“We made it very clear that if there are activities which are permitted from Canada that impinge on our sovereignty, territorial integrity and our security, then we will have to respond,” he said.
Response From Canada
In response to the matter raised by India with the Canadian Government, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has assured India of the safety of its diplomats in a tweet. Where she also highlighted the country’s adherence to the Vienna Conventions.
Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations
Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations provide a complete framework for the establishment and maintenance of diplomatic relations between independent sovereign states. It gives a set of special rules, giving privilege and immunity to diplomats enabling them to perform their functions without fear of coercion or harassment by the other (host) country.
