Washington DC (United States of America) : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, addressing a press conference in Washington DC here on today, emphasized the various efforts being taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Central Government for the Sikh community in India over the last ten years.
EAM Jaishankar went on to say that the current situation with Canada does not represent the issues of the entire Sikh community and that those who discuss terrorism and separatist movements are a small minority. The External Affairs Minister sought to underline that there is no reason to treat this as a matter for the entire community.
"Everyone is aware of the amount of attention that the Modi government has paid to the issues of the Sikh community in the last 10 years and the suggestions it has made. I do not believe that the discussions that are taking place right now are the representative issues of the entire community (Sikhs). Those who talk about terrorism, the separatist people whose arguments involve violence. This is a small minority. Don't take this as a matter for the entire community,” said S Jaishankar.
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He highlighted incidents of threats, violence, and intimidation against Indian diplomats and missions in Canada, asking whether the reaction would have been the same if a similar situation had occurred in any other country. He further emphasized that the situation in Ottawa should not be normalized.
The External Affairs Minister further stressed that it is crucial to draw attention to what is happening there. “Let's not normalize what is happening in Canada. What is happening in Canada, had it happened anywhere else, had the world taken it with equanimity, had those countries taken it so calmly? So I think it's necessary to call out what is happening there,” Jaishankar said.
