26 extradition requests pending with Canada: India

On Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks expressing support for ‘One India’ policy, the spokesperson said they have seen the comments but so far no action has been taken against “anti-India” elements as was requested.

India has shared 26 extradition requests with Canada and also security information on gangs, including the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was disclosed but no action has been taken so far, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday (October 17, 2024).

“There are 26 extradition requests pending with the Canadian side. These are over the last decade or more. Along with it, there are several provisional arrest requests which are also pending with the Canadian side of several criminals... They are wanted on terror charges and related charges...,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said addressing the weekly press conference.

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India has shared security related information with the Canadian government on gang members, including Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and requested them to arrest them and/or take due action as per law, he stated. “So far, no action has been taken by the Canadian side on our request. This is very serious. Also, we find it really strange that now the people whom we asked to be deported, whom we asked action to be taken, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is blaming the Indian side for the violence committed by these people in Canada. This is a contradiction which we don’t understand.”

On Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks expressing support for ‘One India’ policy, the spokesperson said they have seen the comments but so far no action has been taken against “anti-India” elements as was requested. “There is a gap between actions and words here,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

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The spokesperson reiterated that no evidence was provided by Canada to the allegations. “Since September 2023, the Canadian government has not shard any shred of evidence with us,” he said.

On Thursday (October 17, 2024), deposing before the Canadian Foreign Interference Commission, Mr. Trudeau said what they had was “primarily intelligence” on the allegations made but “not hard evidentiary proof”.

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Responding to this, in a late statement on Thursday, the MEA spokesperson said Mr. Trudeau’s statement only “confirms” what Government of India has been saying consistently all along. “Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats,” he said. The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with PM Trudeau alone, he stressed.

India-Canada relations reached a new low after Canada, citing alleged involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and naming them as ‘persons of interest’ in 10 investigations. Canada has expelled six Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma. In a tit-for-tat move, India too expelled six Canadian diplomats including the head of mission Stewart Ross Wheeler. Both sides have given time till October 19 for the diplomats to leave.

All the other ‘Five Eyes’ partners have come out in support of Canada on the issue.

Rejecting Canadian assertion that India announced withdrawing its diplomats after they were expelled, Mr. Jaiswal observed that they had summoned the acting High Commissioner of Canada and, thereafter, conveyed that they had no faith that the Canadian government will look after the safety of our diplomats. “Therefore, we had taken a decision to withdraw our High Commissioner, and along with him, five other diplomats. After that, there was a communication from the Canadian side asking them to leave, but we had withdrawn our diplomats before their decision.”

To a question on his outlook on India-Canada ties in the backdrop of this crisis, the spokesperson noted that India-Canada economic ties are very strong and vibrant and a lot of Canadian pension funds are invested here. “We have a large Indian diaspora, which is a bridge through which we maintain strong people-to-people links with Canada. We probably have the largest cohort of international students in Canada. This particular crisis has been precipitated by the Trudeau government’s baseless allegations. Canada is a major beneficiary of all these linkages we have.”

The RCMP had alleged citing their ongoing investigation that the Bishnoi gang is connected to the agents of the Indian government, and that it was targeting the South Asian community, especially “pro-Khalistani elements” in the country.

Published - October 17, 2024 10:40 pm IST