After telling Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff in India, Canada now faces the prospect of finding itself on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) over Ottawa’s inaction against terror funding operations on its soil despite New Delhi having shared “credible and clinching”, reports Sunday Guardian.
India is now working on a plan to share a “dossier of the old and new evidence” with the Paris-based financial watchdog, which oversees the implementation of legal, regulatory, and operational measures to combat money laundering and terror financing.
According to the Indian government, “Canada acquiescing to India’s demand to reduce its diplomatic strength by 41 is not enough as India’s key concern is about funding and shielding of Khalistanis on Canadian soil. Diplomats, security, and probe agency officials have been asked to collect relevant evidence to be shared with the FATF. The core issue in India’s relationship with Canada is the safe space that terrorists and criminal elements have secured in that country.”
In a statement released by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, who said, “With Canada seeking to divert the focus from the core issue of Khalistani elements having a free run on its soil, India has no other option but to report Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s inaction against pro-Khalistan elements in his country to FATF. India is, therefore, planning to collect evidence of terror funding and financing emanating from Canada and present it to FATF.”.
To counter this problem the Trudeau government is now trying to use its influence with its 5 eyes partners to divert the attention of the global community from the core issue of terror activities and funding by accusing India of violating the Vienna Convention regarding Canadian diplomatic presence which India has outrightly rejected. Also, at the same time, the Indian government decided to put all its diplomatic strength into highlighting the core issue of terror funding that is taking place on Canadian soil unabated.
India has already come down heavily on Canada for “providing safe haven to terrorists” amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Ottawa after the former accused India of carrying out an extra-judicial killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar without ever providing any evidence. The MEA spokesperson said “Terrorism is being funded and supported by our western neighbor Pakistan, but the issue of safe havens and places to operate are being provided abroad, including in Canada.”.
For nearly four decades the Canadian government never helped India whenever New Delhi asked for the deportation of any terrorist or militant from Canada. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 20 September gave details of 43 people associated with a terror-gangster (which includes narcotics and extortion) network having links to Canada, and Canada will be asked to take action against them.
India has now gone on a counter-offensive as it now wants the Canadian government not to provide any safe haven to terrorists and take action or India would put pressure on FATF to be tough on Canada.
In fact, Justin Trudeau is frustrated after being publicly criticized for not being able to share specific information linking India to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and now this so-called diplomatic outrage to divert attention is not working out as he loses more political credibility in Canada.
On the issue of India violating international norms, the MEA said, “We reject any attempt to portray the implementation of parity as a violation of international norms,” the MEA said, countering Canada’s charge. We have seen the Statement by the Government of Canada on 19 October regarding Canadian diplomatic presence in India. The state of our bilateral relations, the much higher number of Canadian diplomats in India, and their continued interference in our internal affairs warrant a parity in mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa.”
“We have been engaged with the Canadian side on this over the last month in order to work out the details and modalities of its implementation. Our actions in implementing this parity are fully consistent with Article 11.1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which states the following: ‘In the absence of specific agreement as to the size of the mission, the receiving State may require that the size of a mission be kept within limits considered by it to be reasonable and normal, having regard to circumstances and conditions in the receiving State and to the needs of the particular mission’,” the MEA statement read.
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