India Rebukes Canada PM's No 'Hard Proof' Admission, Says Responsibility For Damage Lies With Trudeau Alone

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India Rebukes No 'Hard Proof' Admission, Says Responsibility For Damage Lies...

India Rebukes No 'Hard Proof' Admission, Says Responsibility For Damage Lies With Trudeau Alone

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

India Rebukes Canada PM's No 'Hard Proof' Admission, Says Responsibility For Damage Lies With Trudeau Alone

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified before a Commission of Inquiry, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said what it has heard only "confirms" New Delhi's consistent stand that Canada has "presented us no evidence" in support of the serious allegations Ottawa chose to level against India and Indian diplomats.

New Delhi, Oct 17: As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified before a Commission of Inquiry, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said what it has heard only "confirms" New Delhi's consistent stand that Canada has "presented us no evidence" in support of the serious allegations Ottawa chose to level against India and Indian diplomats.

The MEA also held Trudeau's "cavalier behaviour" responsible for damaging India-Canada relations.

"What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along -- Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats," said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in an official statement on Wednesday night in response to Trudeau's comment on Wednesday.

"The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trudeau, testifying before Canada's foreign interference inquiry, said India has been insisting on evidence over allegations levelled by Canada regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar but his government had provided just intelligence, "not hard evidentiary proof."

"Behind the scenes (we're trying) India to co-operate with us. Their ask was...give us the evidence you have on us. Our response was it is within your security agency. You should be looking into how much they know, you should be engaging... 'No, no but show us the evidence'. At that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof. So we said let's work together...," Canadian PM said.

The ties between India and Canada soured after Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that he has "credible allegations" of India's hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India has denied all the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated" and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country.

Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey in June last year.

The recent diplomatic row erupted when Canada labelled India's High Commissioner and other diplomats as "persons of interest" in the investigation of Nijjar's death.

India on Monday expelled six Canadian diplomats hours after it summoned Canada's Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler and conveyed that the "baseless targeting" of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable.

MEA said earlier that it was underlined to Canada's Charge d'Affaires that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau government's actions endangered their safety and the government had decided to withdraw India's High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and other targeted diplomats and officials.

The Indian government conveyed that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the "Trudeau government's support for extremism, violence and separatism against India".

--IANS

WHO Urges Israel To Allow Aid Access To Gaza Amid Humanitarian Crisis

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

Geneva, Oct 17: The World Health Organization (WHO) urged Israel to grant access to Gaza, where escalating violence has blocked humanitarian missions from delivering critical food and medical supplies.

Amid the chaos, WHO and its partners launched the second round of a polio vaccination campaign Monday, aiming to immunise over half a million children, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The total number of children who received a second dose of polio vaccine in Gaza after two days of vaccination is 156,943," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X on Wednesday.

However, ongoing violence threatens the campaign's goal of vaccinating at least 90 per cent of the children, a critical target to halt the virus' spread. In addition to polio vaccines, children are receiving vitamin A supplements to strengthen their immunity.

WHO highlighted the severity of the situation, reporting that out of 54 scheduled United Nations missions to Gaza in October, only one has been completed, with the rest either cancelled or obstructed due to the conflict.

(IANS)

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Doors Always Open For Common Man, Says Haryana CM-Designate

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

Panchkula, Oct 17: Ahead of taking the oath of office, Haryana Chief Minister-designate Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday offered prayers at Valmiki Temple here on the occasion of Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti and reiterated that his doors are open round the clock and common man can approach him with their issues.

"This morning, I met nearly 150 people at my residence before coming to the temple," he told the media after paying obeisance at Valmiki Temple, his first public engagement.

From the day he took over the reins of Haryana in March this year, a low-profile Other Backward Class (OBC) leader Saini has kept his house open for the public and he has been known as, "Saini mera banda hai" (Saini is my man, I know him).

When asked about his electioneering assertion that 'charpais', eco-friendly cots, would be kept at his official residence in Chandigarh for the visiting public, Saini jokingly replied, "They ('charpais') are already placed."

Saini was brought in March this year to counter the anti-incumbency wave against incumbent Manohar Lam Khattar for his nine-and-a-half-year helm. In his 56 days of governance, Saini claimed to have done so much development that Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda did in 10 years as the Chief Minister.

"In 56 days, I have taken 126 historic decisions for Haryana's development," CM Saini had said in his election campaigns.

A confidant of Khattar, Saini entered politics almost 30 years ago. He was elected as an MLA from Naraingarh in the 2014 Assembly polls and inducted into the Cabinet in 2016.

Seven-time legislator Anil Vij and six-time maker Krishan Lal Panwar, a prominent Dali face, have been contacted for the oath-taking ceremony, indicating their inclusion in the Council of Ministers. Alongside them, several other prominent leaders like Rao Narbir, Aarti Rao, Krishan Bedi, Vipul Goel and Ranbir Gangwa have also been informed about their induction into the Cabinet.

The oath-taking ceremony here will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and several Union Ministers, including Rajnath Singh and J. P. Nadda, who is also the BJP national president. Besides, there will be all 20 Chief Ministers of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and their deputies, a mega political gathering in the run-up to Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Saini and his Council of Ministers, likely 10, with three slots that BJP is likely to keep vacant.

--IANS

Vistara Flight Receives Security Threat On Social Media; Safety Protocols Taken

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

New Delhi, Oct 17: A Vistara flight UK 028 from Frankfurt to Mumbai operating October 16 had received a security threat on social media.

Relevant authorities were immediately informed after the received threat necessary safety protocols were taken, said an official statement from the Airline.

The flight after landing at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport was taken to the isolation bay where all passengers were disembarked, as per a Vistara spokesperson.

"Vistara flight UK 028 operating from Frankfurt to Mumbai on 16 October 2024 was subject to a security threat received on social media. As per protocol, all relevant authorities were immediately informed. The aircraft safely landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, and was taken to the isolation bay where all customers were disembarked. We are fully cooperating with the security agencies to complete the mandatory security checks. At Vistara, the safety and security of our customers, crew, and aircraft is of utmost importance to us," the Vistara Spokesperson said.

On October 16, with the growing number of calls claiming a threat to flights in the recent past, the Central Government decided to double the number of sky marshals on the flights originating from the airports across the country.

A senior official from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirmed that the decision to double the number of Air marshals has been taken recently after assessment of the growing threat and getting inputs from intelligence agencies.

"The fresh batch of Air Marshals will be deployed on new international routes added in sensitive category based on intelligence report. The decision was taken after several rounds of meetings will all stakeholders in aviation security," the officer added.

A unit of the National Security Guard (NSG) specialized in anti-terror and anti-hijacking measures is deployed as Air marshals in mainly international routes and a few sensitive domestic routes. Sky Marshals are armed plainclothes security officers who travel on passenger aircraft.

In India, Sky Marshals or flight marshals were introduced in 1999 after the hijacking of the flight Air India IC 814 in Kandahar to prevent hijacking in the future.