'Not surprised by Canadian allegations against India': Pakistan

NEW YORK: Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi has said that Pakistan was not “surprised” by Canada’s allegations that the Indian government was involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June this year.

“Whatever happened in Canada is not a matter of surprise for Pakistan,” Qazi said in his media interaction.

Syrus Qazi is accompanying caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar on a five-day visit to the US to attend the 78th UNGA session.

The foreign secretary said Pakistan did not find anything unusual in the Canadian PM’s allegations as Islamabad had arrested a serving Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Yadav — an operative of the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) from Balochistan in March 2016.

India is involved in destabilising Pakistan, Syrus Qazi said. “If anyone in the world is aware of Indian [activities], it is us [Pakistan],” he said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said authorities were “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking New Delhi’s agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, an assertion India quickly dismissed as absurd.

The spat deals a fresh blow to diplomatic ties that have been fraying for years, with New Delhi unhappy over Sikh separatist activity in Canada. It now threatens trade ties too, with talks on a proposed trade deal frozen last week.