External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

No matter what the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections, the India-U.S. relationship as well as the engagement with the Quad will “only grow”, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday (November 5, 2024), as Americans began voting for the 47^th U.S. President.

Briefing the media in Canberra about India-Australia bilateral talks, along with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Mr. Jaishankar slammed Canada over the violence outside an Indian consular camp at a Brampton Temple community centre over the weekend, as well as for giving space to “extremist voices”, while side-stepping a question about vandalism at Indian centres and temples in Australia. Speaking about the October 21 Line of Actual Control (LAC) agreement with China, Mr. Jaishankar called it a “positive development” and said both sides now plan to further build on ties with meetings between the National Security Advisers and the Foreign Ministers of both countries. 

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“We have actually seen steady progress in our relationship with the U.S. over the last five presidencies. Including an earlier Trump presidency. So, when we look at the American election, you know we are very confident that whatever the verdict, our relationship with the United States will only grow,” Mr. Jaishankar said in response to a question about the possibility of Donald Trump winning the election in the U.S. He also pointed out that the Quad, which was first set up post-tsunami in 2005 had been “revived” during the previous Mr. Trump presidency. 

“For U.S., India, Australia, Japan [the Quad] is a very valuable strategic discussion. We would see that is retaining its importance regardless of the outcome of the election,” concurred Ms. Wong, after the conclusion of the third Foreign Ministers’ framework dialogue. 

Escalation in tensions

Both Foreign Ministers were asked about the recent escalation in India-Canada tensions, particularly after the incident on Sunday when pro-Khalistan activists attacked a Brampton temple compound outside Toronto where Indian Consular officials were holding a camp to help Indian NRIs and PIOs with their documents. The attack led to violent clashes, despite the Indian High Commission requesting extra security from local authorities. While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticised the “acts of violence”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned both the violence and the “cowardly attempts” to intimidate Indian diplomats and called for Canadian authorities to uphold the law.

Mr. Jaishankar called the attack “deeply concerning”, but did not respond to a question about attacks on two temples in Canberra on October 26, which were reported by a diaspora newspaper, in which the temple premises were vandalised and burgled, with donation boxes being taken away by masked men, according to CCTV footage.

Responding to the incidents, Ms. Wong said that “particularly in the week of Deepavali, it’s a very upsetting thing for peoples of the faith community and the Indian community more broadly… People across Australia have a right to be safe and respected”. 

She added that people have a right to “peaceful protest”, but the Australian government “draws a line between that and violence, incitement of hatred, or vandalism and they should be dealt with by the appropriate law enforcement authorities.” 

When asked about the Canadian government’s allegations that Indian government agents and even Home Minister Amit Shah were involved in a plot to kill Khalistani activist wanted in India, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, as well as similar U.S. allegations about an attempt to kill Gurpatwant Pannun, Ms. Wong said Australia had made its concerns “clear”.

“We’ve said that we respect Canada’s judicial process. We convey our views to India as you would expect us to do. And we have a principal position in relation to matters such as the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and also the sovereignty of all countries,” she added. 

Mr. Jaishankar, however, rejected the Canadian allegations as “a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics” and said Canada’s decision to put Indian diplomats under surveillance over the charges is “unacceptable”.  

“We believe in freedoms, we also believe freedom should not be abused, and we have had a talk about it, exactly on those lines,” Mr. Jaishankar said.