India has thanked Canada for rejecting the Punjab Referendum 2020 organised by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a secessionist group. India believes that in clearly rejecting the referendum, the government of Canada has set a precedent that is worthy of emulation by other countries.
While talking to the Hindustan Times, a senior official said: “Canada taking a lead is good start.” The official added that as things stand, the position was that this stand now “put pressure” on others countries to follow suit.
In an email, the spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada stated that “Canada respects the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India, and the Government of Canada will not recognize the referendum.”
Furthermore, Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh said that he hope that other countries would follow Canada’s example and disavow the referendum.
India is optimistic that a similar position will come from other countries in the Five Eyes group. The countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
The Canadian position came at a time when ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have ameliorated since Trudeau regained power in October 2019. Trudeau rubbed mind with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 summit and has spoken on the phone twice recently.
Also, the foreign ministers of India and Canada, S Jaishankar and François-Philippe Champagne, have been constantly in touch over the Covid-19 pandemic and have put efforts together to fight the outbreak.
In the same vein, Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng, has been communicating with India’s Commerce, Industry and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.
They spoke recently on issues like the ongoing negotiations relating to the Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the Canada-India Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement.
