External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar acknowledged Monday that India expects motion in opposition to these liable for final yr’s assaults on its consulate in San Francisco and excessive fee in London, in addition to those that threatened Indian diplomats in Canada.

The minister of exterior affairs acknowledged that India “got very little comfort from the Canadian system that time” and that consequently, its diplomats have been “threatened and intimidated in many ways” and that India needed to halt the issuing of visas in Canada.

Following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims of a “potential” Indian agent position within the homicide of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India briefly halted the issuing of visas to Canadian residents in September of final yr.

The visa providers have been resumed a number of weeks later.

India strongly rejected Trudeau’s allegations.

India has been asserting its “core issue” with Canada remained that of the house given to the separatists, terrorists and anti-India parts in that nation.

“We expect the culprits in the attack in our consulate in San Francisco to be brought to book, we expect action against people who stormed into our high commission in London and we expect action against people who threatened our diplomats (in Canada),” Jaishankar stated at a summit organised by TV9 Network.

The Indian excessive fee in London was attacked by sure pro-Khalistani parts in March 19 final yr whereas there was an tried arson on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco in July.

The Indian diplomats confronted threats in Canada in September.

“We had to suspend issuance of visas in Canada because our diplomats were not safe going to work. Our diplomats were repeatedly threatened. They were intimidated in many ways and we got very little comfort from the Canadian system that time,” Jaishankar stated.

“We reached a stage when as a minister, I could not risk exposing the diplomats to the kind of violence which was very clearly prevalent in Canada at that time. That part of it has been rectified. Today, our visa operations are pretty much normal,” he added.

Jaishankar stated the state of affairs has improved since then.

To a query on the house given to the Khalistani parts in Canada, he cited situations of throwing of smoke bombs into the Indian missions in that nation.

“They (Canada) keep telling us that we are a democracy. There is freedom of speech and, therefore, people say these things,” Jaishankar stated.

“Freedom of speech cannot extend to intimidating diplomats who are doing their duty. Throwing smoke bombs to embassy and consulates, advocating violence and separatism against a friendly state is not freedom of speech, this is misuse of freedom of speech,” he added.

Jaishankar stated the culprits concerned in these assaults should be dropped at ebook.

“In the UK, we actually saw our high commission being attacked by mobs and honestly we did not get the kind of protection which we expected to get,” Jaishankar stated.

“Things have improved in the UK. We find today a much firmer response in Australia and in the US,” he added.

“If a receiving state does not investigate and take action against someone who attacks our embassy and consulates, there is a message in it. I do not think it is good for any of these countries to send that kind of message for their own reputation,” Jaishankar stated.

With inputs from PTI