NEW YORK: Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi has said that Pakistan was not “surprised” by Canada’s revelations that the Indian government was involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June this year.
Qazi, who is accompanying caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on a five-day visit to the US to attend the 78th UNGA session, stated this during a media briefing at the Pakistan mission in UN on Wednesday.
“India’s terrorism in Canada is not a matter of surprise for Pakistan,” the top diplomat remarked.
The foreign secretary said Pakistan did not find anything unusual in the Canadian PM’s allegations as Pakistan had arrested a serving Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Yadav — an operative of the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) from Balochistan in March 2016.
The Indian spy was later sentenced to death after he was found guilty of espionage and terror activities to destabilise Pakistan.
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a startling revelation about the Indian role in the Sikh leader’s killing during a speech at an emergency session of the assembly.
“Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said, addressing the House of Commons about an “extremely serious matter,” after informing the opposition party leaders.
Reacting to Canada’s revelations, the foreign secretary said: “What happened in Canada did not surprise us.” He added that there must be some truth to the allegations levelled by the Canadian PM.
Referring to Kulbhushan Jadhav, the foreign secretary said the Indian spy was involved in activities to destabilise Pakistan.
“If anyone in the world is aware of Indian [activities], it is us [Pakistan],” he said. The top diplomat also said that New Delhi was committing state terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
A day earlier, former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari urged the international community to accept that India is a “rogue, Hindutva and terrorist state” after Canada’s “huge allegations”.
“This is a huge allegation. India has been exposed before the world. And for how long international and our friends in the West would continue ignoring such acts of India,” the PPP chief added.
Speaking about PM’s US visit, the foreign secretary said the caretaker prime minister will discuss all issues including Kashmir in his address to the UN General Assembly.
He said the PM attended the reception and opening session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The prime minister’s meeting with the Iranian president was held in a cordial atmosphere, Qazi said adding that the foreign minister also held important meetings on the sidelines.
