Canada said on Tuesday it takes its “obligations under the Vienna Conventions regarding the safety of diplomats very seriously” and termed the promotional material circulating ahead of the ‘Khalistan Freedom Rally’ “unacceptable”.
In a statement put out on Twitter today morning, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly said, “Canada takes its obligations under the Vienna Conventions regarding the safety of diplomats very seriously. Canada remains in close contact with Indian officials in light of some of the promotional material circulating online regarding a protest planned for July 8th, which are unacceptable.”
Also Read: Breaking News Live | PM Modi to virtually hold SCO summit today; Jinping, Shehbaz Sharif to attend
The minister further said that “the actions of a few do not speak for an entire community, or Canada.”
The remarks came in light of a poster titled “Kill India,” released by Pro-Khalistani leaders in Canada, accusing Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and Consul General of India in Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava, of assassinating Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Also Read: Indian consulate set on fire in San Francisco, US ‘strongly’ condemns vandalism
The poster is an invitation to the “Khalistan Freedom Rally” scheduled for July 8. The rally, according to the poster, will begin at the Great Punjab Business Centre in Malton and culminate at the Indian Embassy in Toronto. The poster also features the photos of both Indian officials in Canada and labels them as “killers of Nijjar”, reports The Indian Express.
The remarks by the Canadian Foreign minister also came after India raised strong objections over the poster with their counterparts and said that the radical thinking of Khalistanis is not good for India and its relations with Canada.
“We have already requested our partner countries like Canada, the US, the UK and Australia where sometimes Khalistani activities happen, not to give space to Khalistanis. Because their (Khalistanis) radical, extremist thinking is neither good for us nor for them nor our relations,” India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.