Australia raises allegations with India of targeting Sikhs in Canada

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday that she had discussed with her Indian counterpart allegations from Canada that India had targeted Sikh activists on its soil.

Briefing the media after meeting with New Delhi’s top diplomat, S. Jaishankar, at Parliament House in Canberra, Wong said she had discussed the allegations.

New Delhi had previously denied Ottawa’s allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists living in Canada.

In response to a question, Wong said her message to the Sikh community is that they have "a right to be safe and respected regardless of who they are in our country; that's the essence of our multi-cultural democracy," read a transcript issued by the Australian Foreign Ministry.

“We have made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation,” she said, adding that Canberra respects Canada's judicial process.

“We convey our views to India as you would expect us to do. And we have a principle position in relation to matters such as the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and also frankly the sovereignty of all countries,” Wong added.

Australia has close intelligence-sharing relations with Canada as a member of the Five Eyes alliance which also includes the US, Britain, and New Zealand.

Jaishankar, for his part, accused Canada of developing a pattern of making allegations “without providing specifics.”

Canada has put Indian diplomats under surveillance, which is “unacceptable,” he said.

He alleged that “political space” is being given to extremist voices in Canada.

“So we believe in freedoms, we also believe freedom should not be abused, and have we had a talk about it, exactly on the lines," he added.