'Going to UN over PoK was a mistake...': India's Exernal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during an event with intellectuals and professionals in the state of Odisha to talk about his book 'Why Bharat Matters,' said that going to the UN on POK was wrong. He also spoke about how the Modi government is focused on improving border infrastructure.

“Sometimes mistakes which previous leaders or governments make can have very far reaching consequences. Even after what happened in Aksai Chin, it took a Modi government to make border infrastructure a priority, because in Aksai Chin we didn’t even know they were building a road," he said.

“That was the extent of our limitations. And in the case of PoK, going to the UN that itself was a big mistake;  and then actually agreeing to whatever was agreed to at the time in a ceasefire agreement," he added.

Jaishankar criticised the Canadian government, led by Justin Trudeau, for allowing "extremism, separatism, and advocates of violence" in the name of free speech. He said that Canada has been granting visas to people linked to organised crime, despite several warnings from India.

During an event with intellectuals and professionals in the state of Odisha to talk about his book 'Why Bharat Matters,' Jaishankar mentioned that some people in Canada, who support Pakistan, have come together and become a powerful political group.

"In some countries, these kinds of people have organised themselves politically and become a political lobby and in some of these democratic countries, the politicians of these countries are made to believe that if they defer to these people or pander to these people, these people have some ability to get a community to support them. So, they have tried to create space for themselves in the politics of these countries. I mean, at this time, it's not so much a problem in the US," he said. 

"Our biggest problem right now is in Canada. Because in Canada, actually, today the party in power in Canada, and other parties in Canada have given these kinds of extremism, separatism, and advocates of violence a certain legitimacy in the name of free speech. See, when you tell them something, their answer is no, we are a democratic country but it is free speech. The point that they need to understand, it is no longer a world that runs as a one-way street. If there are that which happen out there, there will be pushback. Newton's law of politics will apply there also. There will be a reaction. Others will take steps or counter it," the minister added.  

Jaishankar mentioned hearing about the arrest of three people and 'some investigation' by Canadian police in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar . Last June, Nijjar was shot and killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey. A video showing the incident surfaced in March, suggesting it was a 'contract killing'.

Jaishankar also said Canada has been letting in people from India with ties to organised crime, despite warnings from New Delhi.

"Often, when I see for example these kinds of attacks, threats to our embassies, because they concern me very deeply and I tell the foreign minister, suppose if (they) happened to you, if it was your embassy, your diplomat, your flag, how would you react. We have to keep our position strong on this particular report which has come. I also saw it yesterday night, I was coming to Odisha in the morning, somebody may have been arrested, their police may have done some investigation," Jaishankar said at the event. 

"But, the fact is that a number of gangland people, a number of people with organised crime links from Punjab have been made welcome in Canada. We have been telling Canada saying look these are wanted criminals from India, you have given them visas. Many of them have come in false documentation and yet you allow them to live there. If you decide to import for political purposes people with very dubious, actually, very negative backgrounds, there will be issues, they have in some cases created problems in their own country as a result of their own policies. No, why would we fear, if something happens there, it is for them to worry about," he added. 

Also read | Will have to wait for...: India's Jaishankar reacts to arrests in Nijjar murder case

India-Canada row

India and Canada are facing a big challenge in their diplomatic relations. The issue arose when the Canadian Prime Minister accused agents of the Indian government of being involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistani leader in Canada, in June 2023. The accusation led to tensions between the two countries. India has firmly rejected these allegations, stating that they are baseless and lack credibility.

(With inputs from agencies)