'Terrorists found safe haven in Canada': Sri Lankan minister slams Trudeau in scathing critique

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, in response to the India-Canada diplomatic row,stated on Monday (September 25) that Canada has become a safe haven for terrorists.He slammed CanadianPrime Minister Justin Trudeau for making unsubstantiated allegations against India without any concrete evidence.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Sabry expressed that he was "not surprised" by Trudeau's remarks, as Trudeau has a track record of making unsupported and sensational accusations.

"Some of the terrorists have found safe haven in Canada. The Canadian PM has this way of just coming out with some outrageous allegations without any supporting proof. The same thing they did for Sri Lanka, a terrible, total lie about saying that Sri Lanka had a genocide. Everybody knows there was no genocide in our country," he said.

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India's diplomatic ties with Canada have reached a new low following accusations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 18.

Trudeau alleged that India was involved in the fatal killingof Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force, in Canada.

Nijjar, a designated terrorist in India, was killed outside a gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) in Surrey on June 18. India promptly dismissed these allegations as "absurd and motivated."

Questionable actions by Trudeau

Adding to the strained relations, Prime Minister Trudeau's actions have come under scrutiny. He was criticised for honouring a former Nazi soldier in the Canadian parliament.

In response to this, India's stance on Trudeau's credibility was articulated, with comments such as, "I saw yesterday he had gone and given a rousing welcome to somebody who has associated with the Nazis in the past during the Second World War. So, this is questionable, and we have dealt with it in the past. I am not surprised that sometimes PM Trudeau comes out with outrageous and unsubstantiated allegations."

Impact on Sri Lanka-Canada ties

Furthermore, Trudeau's use of the term "genocide" in relation to Sri Lanka's past conflict has had repercussions on Sri Lanka-Canada relations.

"That has actually affected our relationship. The Foreign Ministry has a different take on that. Ministry of Global Affairs has very clearly said that Sri Lanka did not go through a genocide, whereas PM Trudeau as a politician stands up and says that genocide had taken place. That itself is contradictory to each other. That doesn't help," said Sabry.

Sabry stressed the importance of not interfering in the internal matters of sovereign countries.

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He expressed his concerns, saying, "I don't think anyone should poke their nose into other countries and tell us how we should govern our country. We love our country more than anyone else. That's why we are in our country. We are not very happy about that statement at all. Indian Ocean identity is very important, and we need to strengthen the regional architecture. We have to look after our region. We need to work together. That's how we can create a peaceful environment. We should not be dictated by anyone else as to how we should conduct our affairs."

(With inputs from agencies)

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