Amid the ongoing tensions between India and Canada over Justine Trudaue’s baseless allegations regarding the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Bangladesh has now extended support to India, slamming Canada, while voicing its own grievances. In an exclusive interview with India Today, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, AK Abdul Momen said that Canada should stop sheltering all the murderers.
“Canada must not be a hub of all the murderers. The murderers can go to Canada and take shelter, and they can have a wonderful life while those they killed, their relatives are suffering,” he was quoted as saying.
“We have a very good relationship with India and we have a good relationship with Canada. Both countries are friends. I don’t know the details of this issue between India and Canada but I know the issue we have with Canada,” he added.
The main source of contention in the case of Bangladesh is Canada’s refusal to extradite Noor Chowdhury, the man who admitted to killing Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh.
Momen’s sharp remark highlights a growing concern among other countries that Canada’s extradition policy, particularly its opposition to the death sentence, is serving as a shield for criminals.
“Our judiciary is very independent and the government cannot intervene in that. But, [Noor Chowdhury] has the scope for a life sentence. If he comes back to Bangladesh, both Noor Chowdhury and Rashid Chowdhury can ask for a mercy petition from the president of the country. And the President may grant them the mercy petition and change it from execution to a life sentence,” Momen further said highlighting the issue of capital punishment.
The potential abuse of human rights is another issue raised by the Foreign Minister that is more general and universal. The Minister stressed that many people abuse the idea of human rights at various times. This is particularly terrible because it has occasionally been used as justification by some to defend murderers, killers, and terrorists.
As per the reports, the politics surrounding extradition between Canada and countries like Bangladesh and India are representative of a wider story. They highlight the difficulties nations have in striking a balance between international law, human rights, and national security. Although Canada’s position is based on its dedication to human rights, its allies increasingly see it as a possible opening for terrorists and criminals.
Earlier on September 26, Sri Lanka also backed India amid the ongoing tensions between India and Canada. Sri Lankan foreign minister Ali Sabry said that terrorists have found safe haven in the North American country. “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.
“The 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,” the Sri Lankan minister added.
Also, outgoing Sri Lankan high commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda had extended support to India over the issue. “I think India’s response has been inequitable and also firm and direct. And I think as far as we are concerned, we support India on that,” he said.
In an unexpected assertion last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country’s intelligence agencies were looking into a “potential link” between “agents of the Indian government” and Nijjar’s death. Nijjar was referred to as a “Canadian citizen” by Trudeau.
In retaliation to Ottawa’s removal of an Indian official over the case, New Delhi clearly rejected the charges as “absurd” and “motivated,” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat.
Nijjar, one of India’s most wanted terrorists, with a Rs 10 lakh cash reward on his head, was shot dead on June 18 by two unidentified shooters outside a gurudwara in Surrey. He was the Khalistan Tiger Force’s (KTF) commander.
In a strongly worded statement, India said that Canada’s claims appeared to be “politically motivated” and urged the Trudeau government to crack down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating on its soil. As a result of the diplomatic blockade over Nijjar’s murder, India has now suspended visa services for Canadians.
Recently, on Monday, September 25, the Indian Government also announced that it was in the process of cancelling the registration of over a dozen Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card holders for carrying out pro-Khalistan activities and anti-India propaganda.
