Page 16 - The Indian EYE 051724

North The Indian Eye

AMERICANNewsline

16 MAY 17, 2024

SIKH SEPARATIST GROUPS

Indian envoy to Canada talks of ‘big red

line’ as bilateral relations worsen

US awaiting results of Indian investigation of the alleged plot to kill New York-based Pannun

OUR BUREAU “I would refer you to the Cana-
dian authorities to speak to the de-
Montreal/Washington, DC
tails of the investigation there. With
ndian High Commissioner to Can- respect to the indictment that was
ada Sanjay Kumar Verma said returned in the United States, I will
Ithat the Sikh separatist groups in let the Department of Justice speak
Canada were crossing ‘a big red line’ on behalf of that in detail,” he said
in his first public remarks since three to the reporters while responding
Indian nationals accused of killing to a question on the allegations that
Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Indian government officials were in-
Nijjar last year were arrested and volved in a plot to assassinate Pan-
produced before a court by Canadian nun, a US citizen and a separatist
police. He said that New Delhi sees it Sikh leader.
as a matter of national security and of “And then the only thing further I
the country’s territorial integrity. would say: when it comes to the State
“Indians will decide the fate of In- Department, we had made it clear
dia, not the foreigners,” Verma told right when these allegations were
the Montreal Council on Foreign Re- underneath the recent “negative” de- see the results of the Indian investiga- first made public that it’s something
lations, a prominent think-tank. velopments have to do with Canada’s tions on allegations related to a plot we think India should take very seri-
He also told the Council that misunderstanding of “decades-old is- to assassinate Sikh separatist lead- ously and investigate,” Miller added.
relations between India and Canada sues,” which he blames Canadians of er Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the Slamming the report by The
are positive overall despite “a lot of Indian origin for resurfacing. US, State Department Spokesperson Washington Post, India had strongly
noise”. He said his chief concern is “na- Matthew Miller told reporters. rejected the claims, saying that the re-
Verma also said that the two tional-security threats emanating “They (Indian government) port made “unwarranted and unsub-
countries are “trying to resolve this from the land of Canada,” noting that opened a committee of inquiry to stantiated” imputations on a serious
issue.” “We are ready to sit down at India does not recognise dual nation- look into the matter, and that work is matter and that an investigation into
the table any day, and we are doing ality, so anyone who emigrates is con- ongoing; we’ll wait to see the results. the case was underway.
that,” he said. sidered a foreigner. But we made it very clear that it’s “The report in question makes
On Tuesday, India told Canada “Foreigners having, if I can call it, something that we are taking serious- unwarranted and unsubstantiated
that celebration and glorification of (an) evil eye on the territorial integri- ly and we think they, too, should take imputations on a serious matter,” Ex-
violence should not be a part of any ty of India — that is a big red line for this seriously,” State Department ternal Affairs Ministry Spokesperson
civilised society. us,” he said. Spokesperson Matthew Miller told Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi
Verma said the deeper problems Meanwhile, the US is waiting to reporters at his daily news conference. last Tuesday.

GOPIO Writes to Rutgers University on Protesting Students’ Demand

r. Thomas Abraham, Chair- and Kashmiris - in all areas displaying tory for Rutgers to get involved. By ginning of more sit ins by students
man, Global Organization international flags across the Rutgers even considering this demand, you who are opposed to such flags.”
Dof People of Indian Origin campuses. are questioning the integrity of India. “As a public educational insti-
(GOPIO) wrote a letter to Rutgers “We are very surprised to read Kashmir is very much part of India. tution, which belongs to everyone,
University President Jonathan Hol- that you are considering the demand There is no separate flag for Kashmir. Rutgers University has no business
loway on Protesting Students’ De- of protesting students to display the Kashmir residents are not displaced to get into the internal conflicts of
mand to Display Flags of Displaced flags of occupied peoples - including people. In fact, the displaced people countries around the world,” the let-
People in Rutgers campus. Students but not limited to Palestinians, Kurds, are the Hindu minorities who had to ter continued.
had demanded to display flags of and Kashmiris - in all areas displaying leave Kashmir because of violence GOPIO is non-profit, commu-
occupied peoples - including but international flags across the Rutgers against them. If Rutgers displays such nity service and advocacy group with
not limited to Palestinians, Kurds, campuses. This is a dangerous terri- a flag of Kashmir, that will be the be- chapters in 35 countries.

www.TheIndianEYE.com