After the Canadian Parliament observed a moment of silence for Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar to mark his death anniversary, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday India opposes any move giving political space to extremism and those advocating violence.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a press conference said, “We naturally oppose any moves giving political space to extremism and those advocating violence. That is our stand.”
The House of Commons of Canada’s Parliament on Tuesday observed a two-minute silence for Nijjar, who was shot dead on June 18, 2023 by two unidentified men in the parking lot of a gurudwara in Surrey.
Nihhar, head of the separatist organisation the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was named among the ‘most wanted’ by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which had also declared a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for Nijjar.
Towards the end of the proceedings in the House of Commons on June 18, Speaker Greg Fergus stood up to announce, “Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand there is agreement to observe a moment of silence commemorating Hardeep Singh Nijjar, assassinated in Surrey, British Columbia, one year ago today.”
In connection with Nijjar’s assassination, four Indian nationals have been arrested.
MEA on Indians dying during Haj
Regarding deaths of Indians during Haj pilgrimage, Jaiswal said that 98 Indians died during the annual Muslim pilgrimage of Haj to Mecca. The total deaths last year were 187.
The deaths have been due to natural causes, chronic illnesses, and old age. “Six people died on the day of Arafat and four were accident-related deaths,” Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
MEA responds to French journalist alleging MHA declined to renew visa
On French journalist allegedly leaving the country due to visa expiry, Jaiswal said that Sebastien Farcis is an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holder.
“If you are an OCI card holder, you need permission or a work permit to carry on your journalistic activities. To the best of my knowledge, he had applied in May 2024 and his application is still under consideration,” he said.
“The question of his leaving the country is a decision for him to take. If he has taken it, that’s fine. But, his work permit application is still under consideration. He had reapplied it here in May of 2024,” he added.
Sebastian Farcis, who was the India correspondent for Radio France Internationale and Libération, alleged that he was forced to leave the country as authorities declined to renew his journalist permit.
His exit came four months after Vanessa Dougnac, also a French journalist, had alleged that she was “forced” to leave India.
In a post on X, Farcis said, “On June 17, I was forced to leave India, a country where I had lived and worked as a journalist for 13 years, as a South Asia correspondent for Radio France Internationale, Radio France, Libération and the Swiss and Belgian public radios.”
Farcis said that on March 7, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declined to renew his journalist permit, which has prevented him from continuing his profession and has resulted in a loss of all his earnings.
He claimed that despite making formal and repeated requests to the MHA, he has not been given any explanation for this restriction on his work. Farcis also mentioned that he has attempted to appeal this decision, “but to no avail so far”.