India calls out Canada’s ‘hypocrisy’ towards freedom of speech

India on Thursday claimed that Canada had blocked an Australian media outlet after it published remarks by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during an official visit to Australia. The minister spoke on the ongoing diplomatic row between New Delhi and Ottawa over the targeting of Sikh separatists in Canada.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, speaking to reporters in New Delhi, alleged that the social media handles and web pages of Australia Today, which he called an “important diaspora outlet” were blocked for viewers in Canada just hours after it reported on a press conference involving Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong. The outlet published several articles on Jaishankar’s visit to Canberra, as well as an interview with him, he added. 

“So we were surprised. It looks strange to us. But nonetheless, what I will say is that these actions highlight Canada’s hypocrisy towards freedom of speech,” Jaiswal said.

Tensions have grown between New Delhi and Ottawa over Canada’s accusations of Indian government involvement in violence against Khalistani activists, who want a separate nation-state for Sikhs carved out of Indian territory. Canada is home to one of the largest Sikh diasporas, making it an important political force. India has consistently rejected these claims, insisting that Canada has never provided any evidence to support its allegations.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first publicly accused India of being involved in the murder of prominent Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in September last year. This sparked a significant diplomatic row between the two countries, which escalated last month when Ottawa accused Indian diplomats of being involved in violence against Sikh activists. Trudeau has said the Indian government made a “fundamental error” by allegedly supporting “violence on Canadian soil.”  Both New Delhi and Ottawa went on to expel six diplomats, including high commissioners, in a tit-for-tat move.

Canada also charged that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ordered attacks against Khalistan supporters in Canada. Two senior officials from Trudeau’s government last week acknowledged leaking information regarding allegations against India and confirming Shah’s name to the Washington Post. This was done as part of a “communication strategy” drafted by Trudeau’s government to manage the escalating spat with India, Canadian security and intelligence adviser Nathalie Drouin said.

During Jaishankar’s four-day visit to Australia, his counterpart Wong raised issues related to the Canadian claims. “We’ve made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation. We respect Canada’s judicial process,” she stated at a news conference alongside the external affairs minister. In response, Jaishankar remarked that Canada had placed Indian diplomats under surveillance, which he deemed “unacceptable.” He said that “Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics.”

Australia maintains close intelligence-sharing relations with Canada as part of the ‘Five Eyes’ alliance, which also includes the United States, Britain, and New Zealand. Trudeau stated last month that Canada received evidence from the ‘Five Eyes’ regarding India’s alleged involvement in activities targeting Sikh activists. However, Trudeau also admitted that “at that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof.”