"I should not be under protection in a country like this": India's new High Commissioner to Canada rejects allegations linking diplomats to crimes

Ottawa [Canada], October 20 (ANI): India's new High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, has dismissed allegations made by both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that linked Indian diplomats to homicides and extortions in this country, CTV News reported.

In the interview, Patnaik spoke of the security issues, saying, "I find it strange that a high commissioner here has to be under protection," he said. "I'm under protection. I should not be under protection in a country like this," CTV News reported.

He added that renewed conversations between India and Canada have focused on "the entire security situation," including the Sikh separatist movement.

"What we are talking about now are the different security scenarios that is happening in this country," Patnaik said. "Security scenarios where there is a group of people who are actually terrorizing, keeping the relationship under hostage," he claimed in the CTV Interview. "How do we deal with them? How do we deal with the law-and-order situation?"

India has long condemned the pro-Khalistan movement, which supports the establishment of an independent Sikh state in India, and has been critical of Canada for not opposing Sikh separatism within its own borders.

In 2023, Trudeau pushed back against those claims, stating, "They are wrong. Canada has always taken extremely seriously violence and threats of violence. We have always taken serious action against terrorism, and we always will."

Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand met with Modi in India. Following the meeting, both countries signed a statement outlining areas in which they want to co-operate, including trade and artificial intelligence.

Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand met with PM Modi in India. Following the meeting, both countries signed a statement outlining areas in which they want to co-operate, including trade and artificial intelligence. (ANI)

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