Jaishankar Hits Out At Canada, Says 'Double Standards' Very Mild Term

The situation of the India-Canada diplomatic relations is becoming increasingly complex amid a shifting global order, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday on the two countries' deteriorating ties.

In an interaction with Sanjay Pugalia, the editor-in-chief of NDTV, at the NDTV World Summit, Jaishankar said Canada adopts different standards in terms of how it treats others' diplomats and how the country wants its diplomats to operate. "Double standards is a very mild term," he said.

Jaishankar said the recent developments in Canadian politics has exacerbated the situation, particularly in terms of diplomatic relations.

Tensions between the countries escalated dramatically following the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India and Canada recently removed six diplomats as the diplomatic row over the murder case escalated.

India had also issued a strongly worded statement rejecting a diplomatic communication that labelled Indian diplomats as "persons of interest" in the Canadian investigation into Nijjar's murder. The Indian government condemned these claims as "preposterous imputations" and accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government of pursuing a political agenda.

Jaishankar, while speaking about the case, said, "Canada has asked us to subject our High Commissioner to a police inquiry and we chose to withdraw our High Commissioner... They seem to have a problem with our diplomats trying to find out about what is happening in Canada which directly pertain to their welfare and security."

Despite the differences that have emerged with the Canadian government, Jaishankar highlighted the strength of people-to-people and business relationships between the two countries. "For a lot of people, it is very difficult to imagine that we have reached the state of relationships that we have today," he said.

Jaishankar, while highlighting the broader context of changing global dynamics, said Canada is "struggling economically".

He said the world order is "heavily western" but added that there has been a rebalancing over the past 20 to 25 years, where non-western countries like India and China have gained more influence.

"We cannot say that the entire West is unreasonable. But I will say this, Canada is way behind," he said.