New Delhi [India], November 8 : KP Fabian, the former Indian diplomat, has strongly criticised Canada's surveillance of Indian diplomats, calling it "completely wrong" and asserted that the "right to privacy is for everyone unless someone has committed an offence."
Fabian further emphasised that such measures are unjustified unless an individual is under investigation for a specific offence.
While speaking with ANI, Fabian said, "Canada itself said officially that certain consular officials and others are under surveillance... This is completely wrong on the part of Canada... The right to privacy is for everyone unless someone has committed an offence. If someone has committed an offence and that person is under investigation, then the police need to tap into that person's telephone, email and all that. But that's not the case here because if our official has committed something wrong, then they should tell us."
He further said, "This tit-for-tat retaliation is not good for either (country) as the government of Canada, headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seems to be very hell-bent on escalating. That doesn't mean India has to cooperate in escalating this. Sometimes we have to retaliate, sometimes we don't have to retaliate."
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal strongly condemned the surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, calling it "totally unacceptable."
While addressing the briefing on Thursday, Jaiswal highlighted the increased threats against Indian diplomats in Canada, citing instances of harassment, intimidation, and surveillance.
"Indian diplomats are being put under surveillance, which is totally unacceptable. EAM also has spoken about it. We had also taken up the matter very strongly with the Canadian side on it," Jaiswal said.
"Over the last year or even more, the kind of things that we have seen attacking Indian diplomats, threatening, intimidating, harassing Indian diplomats... Yes, the threats have increased," he added.
The former ambassador further questioned the lack of widespread coverage in Canadian media outlet about the ban of Australia Today and said, "If Canada has done it, it is wrong because you cannot be speaking of freedom of expression and doing this (banning the media outlet)."
He added, "But I should tell you, I checked the Canadian media the Global Mail, and CBC News, and there was no mention of this. If this is done by Canada, there should be a wider publicity, not only in Indian media but elsewhere also."
Notably, the MEA on Thursday lambasted Canada for its "hypocrisy towards freedom of speech," as Justin Trudeau's government "blocked" the social media handles and pages of "an important diaspora outlet" Australia Today.
Addressing the weekly briefing on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We understand that the social media handles, and pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, 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... We were surprised. It looks strange to us." he added.
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