• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Transcript of Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (October 17, 2024)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

October 17, 2024

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good afternoon friends. I welcome you to this press briefing. With that I open the floor.

Huma: Sir I am Huma Siddiqui from the Financial Express. My question is that there have been attacks on the UNIFIL by the Israeli forces. So, has India had a conversation with the Israelis on this and what is the plan?

Ayushi: Sir, good afternoon. This is Ayushi Agarwal from ANI. Sir, we have seen statements coming in from Five Eye countries, US, UK, Australia, New Zealand on Trudeau's allegation. My question is, have you reached out to these countries on the whole issue, especially after Trudeau admitting that his government had no concrete evidence against his allegation?

Yeshi: This is Yeshi Seli from The New Indian Express. Prime Minister Trudeau has said that the Indian High Commissioner and the diplomats were actually sent away from Canada, whereas the Indian side has said that we withdrew them. What actually happened? And where do you see this whole row going further?

Santosh: Namaskar sir, main Santosh Thakur hoon Navbharat se. Sir, Supreme Court mei aaj ek faisla aaya hai, NRC in Assam ko lekar ki 1971 ki cut off hai. Toh jo log sir illegal immigrants honge, kya unko Bangladesh bhejenge? Ya kya karenge un logon ka jab woh Indian citizen nahi rahenge? Thank you.

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Namaskar, Sir. I am Santosh Thakur from Navbharat. Sir, today there was a decision in the Supreme Court regarding NRC in Assam, stating that the cut off is 1971. So, what will happen to the people who will be declared illegal immigrants, sir? Will they be sent to Bangladesh, or what will be done with those people when they are no longer Indian citizens? Thank you.

Rezaul: Rezaul from the Hindustan Times. There are reports suggesting that India and Pakistan are close to resuming cricket ties. Is that an accurate reflection of the actual position? Did cricket even figure in any conversations between the two Ministers?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Huma, first to your question regarding UNIFIL, we had issued a statement about the situation and development in southern Lebanon. Post those developments, we had said that we take safety of our peacekeepers very seriously and we had called that all action must be taken for the safety of UNIFIL premises and so on, so forth. We have also called for, as I told you, safety of our peacekeepers. There were some reports about some skin rashes, the peacekeepers who were impacted getting some skin rashes etc. On that, UNIFIL has issued a statement. They have not shared any report with us, but to let you know that in that particular zone we didn't have any of our Indian troops, but we continue to call for safety of our troops.

Ayushi, regarding your question on the comments made by several countries, I would like to say that we have made our position very clear on this particular matter. You would have seen that several Press Releases have been issued in the last two days, putting out our position which we are very clear that since September of 2023, the Canadian government has not shared any shred of information with us. Yesterday again after the public hearing, we had again issued a statement saying that Canada has leveled serious allegations but has so far not given any evidence to back it up. Regarding your question on the comments made, I would allude to the comments made by the State Department. We would say that as far as the allegations are concerned, PM Trudeau's own admission yesterday would indicate the value. As regards our stance on the allegations, we will naturally reject false imputations against our diplomats.

Yeshi, regarding your question, you would have seen we had summoned the Acting High Commissioner of Canada and thereafter conveyed that we had no faith that the Canadian government will look after the safety of our diplomats, and therefore we had taken a decision to withdraw our High Commissioner and along with him five other diplomats. Subsequent to that, we saw that there was a communication from the Canadian side asking them to leave, but we had withdrawn our diplomats before their decision.

On your question as to where we see this particular relationship going, well, to tell you very frankly, India-Canada ties, economic ties are very strong and vibrant. We have lot of Canadian pension funds who have invested here. We have a large Indian diaspora in Canada which is the bridge through which we maintain very strong people to people links with Canada. We have a large, possibly the largest, cohort of international students in Canada as well. This particular crisis has been precipitated by Trudeau government's baseless allegations. So that is how we look at the issue that you raised, how we see the relationship going forward. And let me tell you also, Canada is a major beneficiary of all these strong linkages that we have.

Santosh, aapke Supreme Court ke mamle ke baare mein maine nahi dekha hai ki unhone kya kaha hai, lekin Supreme Court ka jo mamla hota hai, toh woh bada legal hota hai. Supreme Court, Uchch Nyayalay ke mamle mei tippani karna thik nahi hota hai. Us mamle mei Supreme Court ka jo rai hai usko mana jayega.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Santosh, I haven't seen what the Supreme Court has said in this case, but matters in Supreme Court are legal in nature, and it's not appropriate to comment on such matters of Supreme Court. The decision of the Supreme Court in this case will be abided.

Rezaul, on your question, whether any conversation regarding cricket happened or not, I would say nothing of that sort happened, and the reports that you saw were not accurate also.

Aditya: Mr. Jaiswal, I have two questions, related. One is, on TV9 network yesterday broke a story about Lawrence Bishnoi and his gang members in Canada. The details of which we believe have been shared with the Canadian side over the last three years. Could you please share details of how many extradition requests have gone out from India to Canada in the last three years and whether there has been any positive response, because Justin Trudeau yesterday mentioned about Lawrence Bishnoi and said that we are taking action.

Secondly, we have also seen attacks on journalists taking place in Canada. We have seen Rishi Nagar, a journalist being attacked in Calgary in a Gurudwara by Khalistani radicals. In the past, we have seen attacks on Sameer Kaushal and Deepak Punj as well. How do you react to these attacks on Canadian journalists of Indian origin and what does this say about the freedom of expression in Canada? Thank you.

Ajay: Hi, Ajay Banerjee from the Tribune. Sir, the US State Department last night issued a statement that one of the Indian government officials has been removed from service of the Indian government. Could you please clarify who the official is? Can you name? Is it the same person named as CC1 in the Department of Justice indictment?

Salimah: Hi sir, Salimah Shivji from CBC News. So you say on the Indian side that there is no clear evidence that has been presented by Canadian authorities, but Canada's RCMP and other authorities have said that they have presented detailed evidence in meetings with top Indian officials. So, how do you explain that disconnect and the widely different stories from each side, and as well, with this entire dispute, sort of being disputed in public with some bitter statements on each side, do you think that is the correct way to dial down the tensions in this relationship?

Pranay: Sir, Pranay Upadhyaya Amar Ujala se. Mere do sawal hain, pehla sawal toh is chiz ko lekar hai ki Canada ke sath mei kitni extradition requests hamari pending hain, aur khas taur par Hardeep Singh Nijjar samet kitni extradition requests pending hain, unpar abhi tak kya response raha hai?

Dusra sawal is chiz ko lekar hai ki 6 mahine pehle Canada sarkar ki taraf se kaha gaya tha, RCMP ki taraf se ki chaar logon ko giraftar kiya gaya hai, jinki identity Indian batayi gayi thi, kya in Indians ke liye Bharat ke Consulate ne koi consular access manga tha? Agar manga tha toh unse jankari mei kya hasil hua hai? Kya woh Bhartiya nagrik hain?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Pranay Upadhyaya from Amar Ujala. I have two questions. The first question is regarding how many of our extradition requests are currently pending with Canada, and specifically, how many extradition requests are pending, including that of Hardeep Singh Nijjar? What has been the response to these requests so far?

My second question is regarding the statement made by the Canadian government, about six months ago, through the RCMP, that four people were arrested, and their identities were said to be Indian. Did the Indian Consulate request consular access for these individuals? And if yes, what information has been obtained from them? Are they Indian citizens?

Samira: Samira Hussain, BBC News. Will you release the names of the diplomats that India says that they have brought back to India? India has released the names of the Canadian diplomats that were expelled from the country. I am also wondering if the same will happen.

Also, to follow up on Salimah's question about the several meetings that the RCMP has said that they have had and that India has been presented with this evidence. The most recent meeting was a meeting in Singapore that is widely reported, and that meeting went on for several hours, much longer than was originally anticipated. I am wondering what was actually discussed in that meeting if you were not presented with any evidence?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: First, Aditya, to your question on extradition request and Lawrence Bishnoi gang. As far as my information is concerned, there are 26 extradition requests pending with the Canadian side. These are over the last decade or more. Along with it, there are several provisional arrest requests which are also pending with the Canadian side of several criminals. Some of the notable ones who have been charged with terror and related crimes, I would like to name them. They are Gurjeet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa and Arshdeep Singh Gill. They are wanted in terror charges, as I told you, and also some related charges. We have shared security related information with the Canadian government regarding gang members, including those of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and requested them to arrest them and/or to take due action as per law. So far, while we have exchanged and given these information, so far no action has been taken by the Canadian side on our request. This is very serious. Also, I would like to say that we find it really strange that now the people whom we asked to be deported, on whom we asked that action be taken, we are being told that they are the ones... the RCMP is blaming the Indian side that these people are committing crimes in Canada, for which we are to be blamed. So, this is a contradiction in terms which we don't understand.

Speaker: Can you please repeat the names?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: There are several people, but for the sake of brevity, I would like to outline what I just informed you. The notable ones are Gurjeet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa, and Arshdeep Singh Gill.

Aditya, you also had a question regarding Indian-origin journalists who are being intimidated in Canada, and several of these instances have come to light in the recent past. I would only like to say that these are clear examples of intimidation and violence by those who openly espouse extremist and separatist ideology. These are also examples of what afflicts Canada today, and which reveals the sources of violence. Shifting the blame to India does not work in any manner.

Ajay, you had a question regarding the U.S. State Department informing us that the individual who was named in the Justice Department indictment is no longer an employee of the Government of India. Yes, I that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India.

Question of CBC, see, we have made our position very clear that serious charges have been leveled against us. But so far, as we said in our Press Release a few days back, and it was reiterated yet again yesterday or early hours of this morning, so far Canada has not given any evidence in support of the very serious allegations that they've leveled against India and against Indian diplomats. We also see there is a pattern, the pattern is motivated by political considerations on the part of the Trudeau government. And there is also, as we have said, a clear pattern to smear India for reasons best known to them.

I would also like to tell you that please look at several of these statements, it's very detailed statements that we've released, giving exactly what our position is, why we think that these are politically motivated, and why we think that these allegations are baseless.

Pranay, pratyarpan ko leker maine bataya jaise ki 26 extradition cases pending hain, un 26 ke alawa provisional arrest ki information jo hum log Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty ke tahat mangte hain, usmei bhi kai ek sare mamle wahan par Canada mei pending hain. aur jaisa ki maine bataya ki 5 log, apradhi log jinke khilaf hum logon ne manga hai, bhagode hain, manga hai ki unka pratyarpan hona chahiye, unka naam maine liye aapke liye, Gurjeet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa, aur Arshdeep Singh Gill. Ismai se woh bhi log hain jo ye jo gangs hain, Lawrence Bishnoi gang ho athva koi aur gang ho, uske bhi members ismai shamil hain.

Jahan tak jo giraftari ki baat ki aapne, consular access ki baat ki, consular access jaise maine pahle bataya tha ki hum logon ne abhi consular access abhi manga nahi hai, unki taraf se request aata hai toh consular access liya jata hain.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Pranay, as I mentioned, 26 extradition cases are pending. Besides those 26 cases, there are also many cases pending with Canada regarding information on provisional arrest, which we have requested under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. As I mentioned earlier, there are five criminals, fugitives, for whom we have requested extradition. Their names are Gurjeet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa, and Arshdeep Singh Gill. Some of these individuals are also members of gangs, like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang or other gangs.

Regarding the arrests and the consular access you mentioned, as I mentioned earlier, we have not yet requested consular access. Consular access is sought when a request comes from their side.

Pranay: Kitni baar humne request kiya tha Hardeep Singh Nijjar ke pratyarpan ko le kar?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] How many times have we requested the extradition of Hardeep Singh Nijjar?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Hardeep Singh Nijjar pratyarpan wali soochi mei nahi hai. Kisi aur mamle mei uspar charges lage honge, pratyarpan ki soochi mei Hardeep Singh Nijjar nahi hai.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Hardeep Singh Nijjar is not on the extradition list. He may have been charged in another case, but Hardeep Singh Nijjar is not on the extradition list.

Samira, your question regarding Indian diplomats who will be coming back from Canada, we have our High Commissioner along with five other diplomats, who will be returning. The Canadian government has said that they should return by the 19th of October, 11:59 PM. For various reasons, we don't want to reveal their names to you.

Also, regarding the Singapore meeting, yes, Singapore meeting had happened, and some exchanges had taken place. I don't have anything further to share about that particular meeting.

Sudhi: Sudhi Ranjan from Bloomberg sir. Adding on the Ajay's question, if you could give us an understanding as to who was the Indian official India has sacked, and can you or deny, is it following the investigation on the thwarted assassination attempt on Pannun. Also, could you give us an understanding as to who has gone to the United States in this regard? What is the level of officers, what is the kind of information that is being exchanged with United States?

Sidhant: Sir Sidhant from WION. Sir, during the EAM's visit to Islamabad, we saw a lot of ex-Foreign Ministers, the Foreign Ministers and politicians, the ex-Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto, commenting on talks with India. They're saying that India should talk. What is the current view of the Indian government? Any plans to have conversations? Do you see EAM's visit opening a window of opportunity for talks between Pakistan and India?

Krishna Mohan: Sir, K.M. Sharma, Bharat Express se. U.S ka ek statement aaya hai ki India should take the allegation of Canada very seriously. Iska sir kya matlab hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, K.M. Sharma from Bharat Express. There is statement from US that India should take the allegation of Canada very seriously. What is the meaning of it sir?

Madhurendra: Sir, Madhurendra mei News Nation se. Mera bhi sawal Pakistan se juda hai ki EAM ki visit ke dauran kya sideline mei koi baatchit Pakistan ke kisi bhi pratinidhi se hui? Batchit hui toh uska masla kya tha? Kin muddon par batchit hui aur kya Bharat aur Pakistan ke sambandho ko vapas patri par lane ki koi pahal Bharat ki taraf se ki gayi hai? Ek Sawal aur mera juda hua hai, Lawrence Bishnoi ko lekar aapne kaha ki unki bhi dar-asal jo gang ke gurge hain, log hain, unko lekar bhi extradition ki maang humne ki hai, toh ye kaun hain dar-asal, aur kis tarah ke criminal charges un giroh par hain jisko lekar humne maang ki hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, Madhurendra from News Nation. My question is also related to Pakistan. During the EAM's visit, was there any discussion on the sidelines with any representative from Pakistan? If such a discussion took place, what was the subject? What issues were discussed, and has India taken any initiative to bring relations between India and Pakistan back on track? One more question I have is related to Lawrence Bishnoi. You mentioned that we have also requested extradition for his gang members. Who are these individuals, and what criminal charges do they face, whom we have requested extradition for?

Bramh Prakash: Sir, Bramh Prakash hoon News India se. Mera sawal hai ki Canada ke Pradhan Mantri ne jis tarah se media mei kaha hai ki G20 ke dauran Bhartiya Pradhan Mantri ke samaksha unhone Nijjar hatya mamle ki baat ki thi, aur Bhartiya Pradhan Mantri ne unse kaha tha ki Canada mei kuch log hain jinko woh giraftar hote hue dekhna chahte hain. Toh kitne log hain Bharat ki list mei, jo abhi aapne naam bataye wahi log hain ya jo Bhartiya Pradhan Mantri ne kaha jinko arrest hote hue dekhna chahte hain, kitni hain unki sankhya? Thank you.

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Bramha Prakash from News India. My question is, the way the Canadian Prime Minister mentioned in the media that during the G20, he discussed the Nijjar murder case with Indian Prime Minister, and the Indian Prime Minister told him that there are some people in Canada whom he wants to see arrested. So, how many people are on India's list? Are they the same individuals you just named, or are there others that the Indian Prime Minister referred to who he wants to see arrested? What is their total number?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay, first, Sudhi, I will come to your question, I just confirmed that yes, this particular gentleman, he is not part of the Government of India setup. He is not an employee. Beyond that, I don't have anything to share with you. Regarding people who have gone to the United States, I would say that these are members of the High-Level Enquiry Committee that had been set up in November of 2023 to look into the inputs that were shared with us by the US. And we have been telling you that we have taken these inputs very seriously and we remain engaged with the US side on this particular matter. Two members of the High-Level Committee, they have travelled there and they have held meetings with the US side. So that is what I have to share with you.

Sidhant, on Pakistan, when our External Affairs Minister was to travel to Islamabad for SCO meeting, we had made it very clear, we had issued a statement, a Press Release rather, that this particular visit is for SCO Head of Government Meeting. Beyond that, in Islamabad, you would have seen, the only bilateral meeting that our External Affairs Minister had was with Mongolia. Other than that, there were some pleasantries which were exchanged on the sidelines of the meeting, especially during lunch and dinner. That is all that we have to say about his visit in relation to the question that you asked.

Krisha Mohan ji, on State Department's comments, I did mention when I was answering Ayushi's question that as regards the allegations, you would have seen PM Trudeau's own admission yesterday would indicate the value. As regards our stance on the allegations, we will naturally reject false imputations against our diplomats. So that is our response to your question on the comments of the State Department.

Madhu aapne suna ki Pakistan mei SCO ki sideline mein kya batchit hui. SCO ke sideline mei jo ek bilateral meeting hui, Mangolia se hui, uske alawa koi aur meeting nahi hui, koi pull-aside meeting bhi nahi hui. Jo aupchariktayain hoti hain informal batchit, courtesies jo hota hai woh hua, khane ke dauran, bhojan ke dauran, uske alawa wahan par Pakistani side se kisi aur tarike ki koi batchit nahi hui.

Lawrence Bishnoi ke baare mei, Lawrence Bishnoi ke gang aur anya gang ke baare mei, syndicates ke baare mei humne Canada se kai ek saal pahle aur haal mei bhi unko bataya hai, usne provisional arrest ka request kiya hai. Ab tak unhone ispe koi action nahi liya hai, na hi koi arrest kiya hai aur hum log toh baar baar ye baat kehte rahe hain ki itne saare log jo jinke baare mei aapko bataya ja raha hai, jo anti india activities wahan karte hain, jo algavwadi takaton ko badhava dete hain, unke khilaf sakht se sakht karyawahi karna chahiye. Lekin unhone abhi tak is mamle per freedom of speech ke naam ko aage la ke, woh kehte hain ki ye freedom of speech ka mamla hain, hum ispe kuch nahi kar sakte. Ye bebuniyad hain. Hamari taraf se ye bebuniyad hain, unhone koi action nahi liya, jo hamare core concerns hain us par abhi tak. aur uske piche ek rajnitik mansha bhi hain jo aap jante hain.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Madhu, you heard what conversation took place on the sidelines of the SCO in Pakistan. The only bilateral meeting which happened on the sideljbes was with Mongolia, no other meetings took place. There were no pull-aside meetings either. The usual formalities, informal talks and courtesies which are there, took place during meals, but apart from that, there was no other discussion with the Pakistani side.

Regarding Lawrence Bishnoi, his gang, and other gangs and syndicates, we informed Canada about them several years ago and recently as well. We have requested for provisional arrest. But so far they have not taken any action on it or made any arrests. We have repeatedly stated that there are many individuals who are being mentioned to you, who engage in anti-India activities and promote separatist agendas, and there should be strict action taken against them. However, they bring the freedom of speech in it and claim that it is a matter of freedom of speech and they cannot do anything about it. This is baseless. From our side, this is baseless; they have not taken any action on our core concerns so far, and there is also a political agenda behind this, as you know.

Bramha Prakash aapka sawal, G20 ke dauran se ab tak maine kaha, jo humne apne Press Vigyapti mei bhi kaha hai ki Canada jo hai hamare upar allegations lagata aa raha hai, lekin aaj tak kisi prakar ka ek khar bhi jo kehte hain, us prakar ka koi saboot aaj tak unhone nahi diya hai.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Bramha Prakash, on your question, since the G20 until now, I have said, as we mentioned in our Press Releases, that Canada has been making allegations against us. However, to date, they have not provided a shred of evidence.

Bramha Prakash: Prime Minister Modi ne unse kaha tha ki Canada mei kuch log hain jinko woh arrest hote hue dekhna chahte hain, toh usko lekar kitni sankhya hai jo Bharat ke paas jo list hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Prime Minister Modi said to him that there are some individuals in Canada whom he wants to see arrested. So, how many such individuals does India have in its list?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Dekhiye aapne dekha hoga ki pichle kuch mahino mei aur pichle saal, aur uske pahle bhi kis prakar ki gatividhiyan waha par kai ek shahron mei chalti hain. Hamari leadership ko le ke wahan par anti-india activities jo chalti hain aur jab bhi aisa kuch hota hai toh hum log wahan ki sarkar se ye request karte hain ki aap sakht se sakht se karyawahi kijiye, kyuki ye algavwadi takat, ye violence jo hamare khilaf hai, isko badhawa nahi diya ja sakta hai, ye hamare rishton ke khilaf hai, ye hamara concern hai, security concern hai, hamara suraksha ka concern hai. Uspar lekin aaj tak koi action nahi liya gaya hai.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] You must have seen the kind of activities that have been happening in several cities there over the past few months, last year, and even before that. Anti-India activities take place there against our leadership. Whenever something like this happens, we request the government there to take strict action because this separatist activities and violence against us cannot be encouraged; it goes against our relations, it is a security concern for us. However, to date, no action has been taken on it.

Gautam Lahiri: Sir, thank you, this is Gautam Lahiri. Question regarding Bangladesh. Today after noon, Bangladesh International Crime Tribunal has issued an arrest warrant against Sheikh Hasina and others and asked the authority to produce her in front of the court next month. So, what will be the India's stance on this issue?

And secondly, there are many reports are coming out in Bangladesh that whether Sheikh Hasina is in India or left India, came back to India and India government has given a travel document. So, how far, what is the, whether any status of Sheikh Hasina has changed or is, as she was, on her request or on a short notice, she is staying here, where the same status is continued?

Jugal: Hi sir, this is Jugal here from BBC. So, connected to Bangladesh, yesterday, the government there has issued an order cancelling several national holidays including, you know, the March holiday, which is father of the nation, Bangabandhu's birth anniversary. In general, what is the comment that India would like to make on the current situation in Bangladesh?

And along with that, any update on the visa operations of the Indian High Commission there, whether they continue to remain suspended and is there a review likely of that? Thank you.

Jai Prakash: Sir main Jai Prakash hoon Dainik Jagran se. Sir mera sawal Canada se sambandhit hi hai. America, Britain aur Australia ne bhi ek tarah se Canada ka samarthan kiya hai, aur ye teeno desh hamare strategic partner bhi hain, kya hum inse koi baat kar rahe hain is mamle mei?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Jai Prakash from Dainik Jagran. My question is related to Canada. The United States, Britain, and Australia have also supported Canada in a way, and these three countries are our strategic partners as well. Are we discussing this matter with them?

Sameera: Thank you sir. Sameera from DW. Question with regard to the US State department briefing on Monday evening, with regard to the India-Canada row, the spokesperson said that the U.S. would like to see India to take the allegations of Canada seriously and that they would like to see India cooperating with Canada. What's your response to that? Because both are implying you are not on both accounts.

Vijai Laxmi: Sir Vijai Laxmi hoon India TV se. Sir Canada mei bhartiya mool ke kafi log rehte hain aur ab jis tarah ka crisis donon mulkon ke bich me chal raha hai jo bhartiya samuday ke log hain, kafi dar hai, kafi log usko express bhi kar rahe hain, unke safety, security ke concerns ko lekar Indian government kuch kar rahi hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Vijai Laxmi from India TV. Sir, many people of Indian origin reside in Canada, and given the current crisis between the two countries, the Indian community is quite fearful. There is fear regarding what is happening between the two countries, many people are expressing it also. Is the Indian government doing anything about their security and safety concerns?

Niraj Kumar: Sir Niraj hoon News 18 India se. Donon deshon ke bich jo sambandh kharab hue, donon deshon ke rajnaik wapas aa rahe hain apne desh laut rahe hain, is bich visa application, visa ka jo process hai use kaise process karenge donon High Commission?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Niraj from News 18 India. With the deteriorating relations between the two countries and both countries' diplomats returning to their respective nations, how will the visa applications and visa processing be handled by both High Commissions?

Rishabh: Sir Rishabh from Times Now. Just a connected question about what Niraj asked. Is India looking at visa process and OCI cards of people who are anti-India, belonging to Indian origin in Canada? Will there be any action on that front as well?

And one more question, sir. There have been repeated threats to airlines in last one week. There have been in a similar pattern such threats coming in from SJF as well. Has Government of India spoken to U.S. or pushing it to take action against SJF on that?

Sudhi Ranjan Sen: Sir, thank you for allowing me a second question. I just want you to give us an understanding on the economic relationship. You know, earlier in the briefing you talked about the Canadian pension funds. That is if not a big but a very strong economic relationship with India buying a lot of stuff from Canada and similarly with Canada. Does this relationship get affected? Has Government of India done any kind of an assessment?

Kadambini Sharma: Sir, Kadambini Sharma from NDTV. Suraksha ke maddenajar 6 rajnaikon ko wapas bulaya gaya hai, toh baki jo wahan par hain rajnaik unki suraksha ko lekar kya pehle ki tarah kuch services, consular, visa services band kar di jayengi?

Aur dusra sawal ye ki jis tarah ka bayan UK aur US ki taraf se aaya hai toh koi ispe aage dono apni jo allies hain unse baithakon ki koi baat hai, batchit ki koi bat hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Kadambini Sharma from NDTV. In light of security concerns, six diplomats have been recalled. What measures will be taken regarding the security of the remaining diplomats there? Will consular and visa services be suspended like before?

And the second question is, given the statements that have come from the UK and the US, is there any discussion regarding this with the two countries in?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Let me come back. We will pull all the Canada questions again together. Otherwise, I will lose my train of thought.

On Bangladesh, Gautam, we have seen some reports which have recently come in. Other than that, I don't have any comment to offer. On the stay of the former Prime Minister, I had earlier mentioned that she had come here at a short notice for safety reasons, as she continues to be.

Jugal, your question was regarding visa. Limited visa operations are on. Limited visas for medical reasons, emergency reasons, etc. are being given by our High Commission. As and when law and order situation improves and the situation becomes conducive for us to have full operations of visa, we will do that.

The other situation I would like to highlight that we had issued some statements during the Pooja celebration. We saw there was a lot of violence against the minority community, against the Hindu community. There was violence against Pooja Pandal. We call upon the Interim Government that assurances that they have given for protection of minority rights, those must be implemented so that people can feel safe.

Jai Prakash aapka sawal Canada, humne dekha hai ki aur sab jo hamare sahyogi desh hain, UK hai, US hai, New Zeland, unhone bhi kuch bayan diye hain rule of law ko le ke, in fact Australia ke sath toh 2+2 dialouge hamara hua do din pahle yahan par, aur jahan tak allegations ki baat hai uspe hum logon ne apna drishtikon, apna position bada clear kiya hai. Is mamle mei unse batchit nahi hui hai.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Jai Prakash, your question is about Canada. We have seen that our allies, the UK, the US, Canada, and New Zealand, have also made some statements regarding the rule of law. In fact, we had the ttwo-plus-two dialogue with Australia two days ago here. As far as the allegations are concerned, we have made our position very clear. There has been no discussion with them on this matter.

Your question, I had already mentioned what we had to say in response to the comments made by the State Department that India should take it seriously. I would like to repeat again, as regards the allegations, PM Trudeau's own admission yesterday would indicate the value of these allegations. As regards our stance, we will naturally reject false imputations against our diplomats.

Vijai Lakshmi ji wahan par kariban 17-18 lac bhartiya mool ke log rehte hain usme bahot sare log bhartiya nagrik bhi hain, unka suraksha aham hai. Wahan pe rehne wale logon ki suraksha wahan ki sarkar ke hath mei hai aur hum logon ki ye apeskha hai ki wahan ki sarkar unko sabko surakshit rakhegi.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Vijai Lakshmi, there are approximately 1.7 to 1.8 million people of Indian origin living there, many of whom are Indian citizens, and their safety is important. The safety of the people living there is in the hands of the government there, and we expect that the government there will ensure their safety.

Niraj visa ke mamle mei haalaat thode abhi thik nahi hain jaisa ki aapne dekha aur hum logon ne bataya bhi hai ki abhi jo crisis chal raha hai uske khas jimmewar jo woh Trudeau sarkar hai, unki jo baseless allegations hain, woh hain.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Niraj, the situation regarding visas is currently not very good, as you have seen, and we have also mentioned that the Trudeau government and their baseless allegations are primarily responsible for the ongoing crisis.

Toh jaise ki maine bataya and I would like to speak in English so that others also can take note. India-Canada economic ties are robust and strong. We have a large diaspora resident in Canada. Our students form the largest cohort of international students in the country. Several large Canadian pension funds are invested in India and Canada is a major beneficiary of these linkages and ties. The current crisis in the relationship has been precipitated by Trudeau Government's baseless allegations.

Niraj jo hamare log hain wahan par abhi, woh visa ke mamle ko jitna visa process ho sakta hai wahan se woh chalega, jo hamare diplomats wahan par hain, hamare consulates hain, woh us kaam ko karenge, uspe koi rok nahi hai.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Niraj, our people there will handle the visa matters as much as the visa process can proceed. Our diplomats and consulates there will take care of that work; there are no restrictions on it.

Rishabh, your question whether we will take action against people who are indulging in anti-India activities, etc. I would like to say we will continue to take all necessary actions and steps to ensure our national security. So that will be my answer to you.

You also had another question regarding several bomb threats including by the organization that you mentioned. Each time we have raised this matter, we have conveyed our security concerns with the American side because if you don't check such irresponsible actions, there will be serious ramifications. As I told you, we have been regularly sharing our concerns regarding threat to aviation. We hope the American side, US will take strong action against those who by word or deed endanger the lives of people. It's important to underline these things because we've seen the kind of bomb threats that have been happening in the last few days.

Sudhi on the economic relationship, I gave you our point of view.

Kadambini suraksha ko leke maine bataya ki wahan par bahot sare hamare log hain, unki suraksha wahan ki sarkar ke hath me hai, unko surakshit rakhe, jahan tak hamara sawal hai High Commission or Consulate se wahan ke hamare sumuday ke log jo bhartiya nagrik hain woh jude hue hain, unse lagatar hum touch mei hain. Toh hamari apeskha hai ki wahan ki sarkar unko surakshit rakhegi.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Kadambini, regarding security, I mentioned that there are many of our people there, and their safety is in the hands of the government there. We expect them to be kept safe. As far as the question about the High Commission and Consulate is concerned, we are in constant touch with our community members who are Indian citizens. Therefore, we expect the government there to ensure their safety.

Neville: Neville from Sky News. In the deposition yesterday, Prime Minister Trudeau said that Canada's policy is one nation. Does the Indian government believe that or believe him?

Dhairya Maheshwari: Dhairya Maheshwari from Sputnik. Sir, my question is regards to the testimony of Prime Minister Trudeau at the Foreign Interference Commission. He said that he will determine the future of the India-Canada intelligence sharing pact which was signed in 2018. So, would it be possible to get a comment on that, like if that's still active and has India, you know, has it been to India's advantage in terms of the intelligence sharing pact? Thank you, sir.

Ankit: Sir Ankit ABP News se. Sir mera sawal ye hai ki jaisa aapne bataya ki canada mei kai sare aise aaropi hain jinko lekar ke pratyarpan ki mang ki gayi hai, lekin abhi tak koi karyawahi nahi ki gayi. Kya bhartiya kanuno ke tahat unki jo sampatti hai ya jo baki jo yahan karyawahi ho sakti hai bharat sarkar ne us or abhi tak koi karyawahi ki hai ya karne ka vichar kar rahi hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, Ankit from ABP News. My question is, as you mentioned, there are several accused individuals in Canada for whom extradition requests have been made, but no action has been taken so far. Under Indian laws, has the Indian government taken any action regarding their assets or any other possible actions here, or is it considering doing so?

Keshav Padmanabhan: Sir, Keshav Padmanabhan from The Print. On Monday, I think the Foreign Minister of Canada, Mélanie Joly, mentioned that she had a discussion with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at some point during that day. So, can you just give us a sense of whether, (A) that conversation happened and what was the sense of that conversation? And Foreign Minister Joly went on to add that all actions, including diplomatic sanctions, are on the table. So, can you give us a sense of what is the Indian position regarding the comments made by the Foreign Minister? Thank you.

Rishikesh: Hi, Sir. Rishikesh from the Press Trust of India. So, we have seen lots of anti-India activities from these gangs, Khalistani groups. So, do we have any evidence suggesting that these people or these gangs are being funded by people living in Canada or Canadian authorities?

Pia Krishnankutty: Sir, this is Pia with The Print. You had mentioned there were 26 extradition requests pending with the Canadian side. So, what has stalled these requests from being resolved? Is it that Canada has asked India for further evidence or specific charges on these extradition requests? I am just trying to understand what is the disconnect that has allowed these requests to be pending for so long?

And secondly, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has gone as far as to say sanctions should be applied on Indian diplomats. Any reaction?

Sanjeev Trivedi: Sir, main Sanjeev Trivedi hoon News24 se. Jis press conference ke bare mei abhi kaha gaya Prime Minister Trudeau aur Foreign Minister ki press conference mei, Foreign Minister ke dwara ek aur baat kahi gayi thi ki similar nature ki ek ghatna America mei bhi hai aur usmei jo America ko sahyog kiya ja raha hai us tarah ka sahyog hum mang rahe hain, Canada ko woh sahyog kyu nahi kiya ja raha hai. obviously references Gurpatwant Singh Pannun aur Nijjar mamle ko lekar hai. Iske alawa jo baatein aapke taraf se aayi hain, aur jo press releases aapki taraf se aaya hai usmei aur yahan abhu iss waqt aapne bhi ye baat kahi ki Canada ke sath jo hamare sambandh hain woh kafi pragadh hain, main ye janna chahta hoon ki kya aap ye suggest karna chahte hain ki ye sari samasya dar-asal individual specific hai, its all about Prime Minister Trudeau aur unki jo ek wahan ki political compulsion hain liberal party ko jitwana hai, samne election hai, dar-asal kya ye samasya ki jad hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Sanjeev Trivedi from News24. Regarding the press conference mentioned earlier with Prime Minister Trudeau and the Foreign Minister, the Foreign Minister made another statement that there was a similar incident in America, and the cooperation being provided to America is being requested by Canada as well. Why isn't that cooperation being provided to Canada? Obviously, this refers to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and the Nijjar case. Additionally, you have mentioned in your statements and press releases that our relations with Canada are quite strong. I would like to know if you are suggesting that all these problems are in fact0 individual-specific, and that it's all about Prime Minister Trudeau and his political situation, specifically the need for the Liberal Party to win the upcoming elections. Is this the root cause of the problem?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: First, Sky News. We have seen those comments of Prime Minister Trudeau that he believes in One India policy but so far the actions that we have requested against anti-India elements who actually go against One India, who call for dismemberment and disunity of the country, who espouse separatist ideology, no action has been taken. So in a sense there is a difference, there is a gap between action and words here. I have told you what we think of the matter. The area on the agreements that we have with Canada, we have several, it is a relationship which goes back several decades and over a period of several decades this relationship has blossomed. We have large economic ties, we have large student community as I said, we also have lot of financial linkages between the two countries. So it is a broad based partnership and as part of this partnership, to foster the partnership we have several engagements and agreements that have been signed including information sharing and other such related agreements as some of them relate to 2018. These continue to be functional, these continue to be in operation.

Ankit pratyarpan wale mamle pe twenty six extradition requests humne Canada ko bheja hai, abhi tak uspe koi karyawahi nahi hui hai. Jahan tak unki sampatti ko, kurki jabti ki baat hai woh hamare jo yahan par authorities hain, jo aadhikarik sansthayein hain woh kaam unko karna hai vidhiwat kanun ke tahat.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Ankit, we have sent twenty-six extradition requests to Canada, but so far, no action has been taken on them. As for the seizure of their assets, it is the responsibility of our authorities and official institutions here to carry out that work under the due legal process.

Keshav, your question was regarding the engagement. We have seen some, I mean on Canada's allegations, we have seen our press leases, we have made our position very clear where we are on the kind of allegations that Canada has put. As far as the comments of the Foreign Minister that all sanctions, all issues are on the table, well we will see. This is an evolving situation how things go, there are certain actions that lie in the domain of the Canadian government, there are certain actions that lie in our domain as well. So we will see, this is an evolving situation as I told you.

Rishikesh, your question was regarding anti-India activities. Over the last several years now we have been reminding Canada to take strong action against anti-India activities. We believe that they are being promoted there, they are being encouraged by no action being taken against them, they openly espouse violence, they openly call for separatist ideology. You would have seen the kind of tableau that is displayed on important days, those are surely they are not in keeping with our understanding of freedom of speech and they are being promoted by several forces there and for political reasons also they are being given all sorts of support.

Pia your question regarding extradition request, these are pending with the Canadian government so as to why they are pending with the Canadian government, I would say that you take this question to them but so far they haven't acted on these request of ours.

There was a question regarding sanction, Jagmeet Singh is not a part of the government so these are his personal choices, these are his personal opinion, he can say whatever he wants, I don't have any comment on that.

Sanjiv, see there are two issues, we have an issue with Canada, it has its own context, we have certain issues with United States, it has its own context. We are engaged with the United States with those issues and we have as I told you that the members of the high level committee, they have travelled to Washington DC, we have had a meeting, we have shared several ideas on the kind of input that we have received.

Neeraj Kumar Dubey: Sir main Neeraj Dubey, Prabhsakshi se. Sir Pakistan aur China ke pradhan mantri ki mulakat ke baad jo sanyukt bayan aaya hai usmei kashmir ka jikr hai, bataya gaya hai ki kashmir ek aisa historical mudda hai jiska hal abhi tak nahi kiya gaya, UN charter ke according uska hal nikalne ki baat kahi gayi hai. Toh is par bhartiya videsh mantralaya ki pratikriya kya hai?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Sir, I am Neeraj Kumar Dubey from Prabhsakshi. Sir, after the meeting between the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and China, a joint statement was released mentioning Kashmir, stating that Kashmir is a historical issue that has not yet been resolved, and it was mentioned that a solution should be sought according to the UN Charter. What is the Indian Ministry of External Affairs' response to this?

Raghavendra Verma: Sir this is Raghavendra Verma from ZDF, German Television. If you can elaborate on that bomb threats to the airlines of Indian origin. Do you have any update on who is behind this? There were reports of a juvenile being arrested in India for earlier and there were earlier reports few months ago that the emails which originated from servers stationed outside India. So how serious is this because the air forces of foreign countries have been escorting our planes and how is it affecting the government at that stage with the relations with how to deal with the foreign development?

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Neeraj pahle aapka sawal, kashmir ke mudde pe hamara jo paksh hai aap usse bhalibhati avgat hain. Humne unhain kai dafa bhi yahan se kaha hai. Toh maine chahunga ki jo hum logon ne vaktavya is mamle mei diya hai uspar aap najar dale. Kashmir hamara hai, tha aur rahega. Hamara bayan hai, hamara position hai yeh. Kisi aur ke kuch kehne se hamara position nahi badal jata hai. Toh is baat ko dhyan rakhna chahiye.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Neeraj, regarding your question about the Kashmir issue, you are well aware of our stance. We have stated this many times from here. So I would like you to take a look at the statements we have made on this matter. Kashmir is ours, has been ours, and will remain ours. This is our statement, our position. Our position does not change because of what someone else says. This should be kept in mind.

Raghavendra, bomb threats are very serious issues. You would have seen in the last 24 or 48 hours several such threats have been issued. One of our Air India flights was grounded as well. Several other aircraft also received similar threats. Our agencies, Ministry of Home Affairs and other relevant agencies are looking into the matter and hopefully some arrests I understand have been made. Some FIRs have also been filed. When I was earlier dealing with bomb threats, I was pointed towards the bomb threats that have been given in the past by one particular gentleman whose organisation is a banned terrorist organisation in India and we have been raising those issues continuously with the US side and we hope that they will take strong action against such people.

So with the we come to closure of this -- this was like a test match today. Thank you very much.