India's response firm...we support: Sri Lankan envoy on Canada's allegations

Outgoing Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda has said that India's response to Canada's allegations has been "firm and direct" and Colombo supports New Delhi on the matter.

While addressing a press conference, he said that the people of Sri Lanka have suffered due to terrorism and that his country has zero tolerance for terrorism. On being asked about Canada's allegations against India, he said, "I think India's response has been inequitable and also firm and direct. And I think as far as we are concerned, we support India on that. Having said that, also, in my lifetime now, I'm 60 years old, 40 years of my life, we have spent facing various forms of terrorism in Sri Lanka. I have lost many friends, and colleagues to terrorism. "We have all mean many Sri Lankans have died to terrorism. So, therefore, our position on these matters, I think is very clear because we have endured and we have suffered. And as a country that has gone through that tolerance for terrorism is zero tolerance," he added.

Ties between India and Canada have been strained after Justin Trudeau on September 18 alleged India’s involvement in the fatal shooting of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in India, was killed outside a Gurdwara in Canada's Surrey on June 18. India, however, rejected the allegations, terming them "absurd" and "motivated".

“We have seen and rejected the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

"Allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated," the MEA added in its statement.

"Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister and were completely rejected. We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to the rule of law," it added.

India also expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a reciprocal move to Canada expelling a senior Indian diplomat in light of the claim of New Delhi's involvement in the killing of Nijjar.

On Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the allegations made by Canada regarding the "potential links" of India behind the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are “politically driven”.

"Yes, I do think there is a degree of prejudice here. They have made allegations and taken action against them. To us, it seems that these allegations by the government of Canada are primarily politically driven," Bagchi said while addressing a weekly presser.

The MEA spokesperson further said no information has been shared by Canada regarding the killing of Nijjar.

"We are willing to look at any specific information that is provided to us, but so far we have received no specific information from Canada," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday while answering queries.

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