Canada blocked Australian media outlet for reporting Jaishankar's presser in Canberra: India

S Jaishankar. File Pic

India on Thursday said Canada blocked an Australian media outlet hours after it broadcast the press conference of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Canadian action of blocking the social media handles and certain pages of Australia Today smacked of "hypocrisy" towards freedom of speech.

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"We understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which are important diaspora outlets, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. This happened just an hour or few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of EAM Dr S Jaishankar with Penny Wong," Jaiswal said in response to a question at the weekly media briefing.

"We were surprised. It looks strange to us. But nonetheless, what I say is that these are actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech," the external affairs ministry spokesman said.

He said Jaishankar, in his media interactions in Australian capital Canberra, had spoken about the allegations levelled against India by Canada without sharing any specific evidence.

"You would have seen that the External Affairs Minister, in his media engagements, spoke about three things. One was Canada making allegations and a pattern has developed without any specific evidence," he said.

The spokesperson said the second thing he highlighted was surveillance of Indian diplomats happening in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable.

"The third thing which he highlighted was the political space which has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. So you can draw your conclusions from that, why the Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada," Jaiswal said.

Jaishankar is visiting Australia from November 3-7 during which he and Wong held a joint press briefing in Canberra, and the Indian external affairs minister also fielded questions on the Brampton temple incident and the overall escalation in diplomatic row between India and Canada.

Describing the Hindu temple incident in Brampton as "deeply concerning", Jaishankar on Tuesday had said it told in a way the "political space" which is being given to "extremist forces" in Canada.

Responding to a query during his joint press briefing with Wong, he had also accused Ottawa of developing a "pattern of making allegations without providing specifics".

In Canada's Brampton, protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with people at the Hindu Sabha temple and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate.

Jaiswal, in his comments, recalled the remarks made by Jaishankar in Canberra to reiterate India's stand on the ongoing diplomatic standoff.

"We condemn the attack on the temple in Brampton, and we have called upon the Canadian government to uphold the rule of law and to bring to justice the people who perpetrated the violence. We hope that the Canadian government will take due action," the MEA spokesperson said.

On reports of cancelling of consular camps in Toronto, he said, "Yes, you would have seen the message posted by our consulate in Toronto that they had to cancel the consular camp that they were planning to organise over the weekend, because they didn't get adequate security or security assurance from the host government." That was the reason these consular camps have been cancelled, he said.

Jaiswal highlighted that there is a large Indian diaspora in Canada, and many of these people in the month of November-December need several documentation for continuation of their pension and several others activities in India, and these camps are useful for both Indian nationals or people of Indian-origin there.

"But, I do understand that in other parts of Canada, such as Vancouver, these consular camps will be conducted. These camps happen at the request of the community organisations," he said.

Asked if security was sought by the Indian side, the MEA spokesperson said, "We had asked for security to be provided for our diplomats where our consular camps are to be held, and these have not been provided by the Canadian side." On whether threat to diplomatic and consular staff in Canada have increased, he said, "threats have increased".

Their surveillance is totally unacceptable, as mentioned by the Indian external affairs minister in Canberra. And, India has taken up the matter "very strongly", Jaiswal said.

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