Amid an escalation stand off between India and Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that Canada failed to act on India’s request seeking extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi gang members.

Addressing in a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that similar extradition requests of syndicates linked to the Bishnoi gang were made recently as well, but Canada has not responded yet.

The Ministry also furnished names of Gurjit Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Arshdeep Singh Gill, Lakhbir Singh Landa, Gurpreet Singh for extradition, stating that the members of the Bishnoi gang were among them.

Randhir Jaiswal said that the MEA had informed Canada about the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and its syndicates and requested their provisional arrest and extradition some years back, and also recently. Nonetheless, there has been no response from Canada so far, he continued.

The MEA spokesperson also reiterated that Canada did not share any evidence in connection with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He stated that India has made their position very clear on this particular matter. He added that since September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared any shred of information with the MEA.

He said that Canada always brought forth freedom of speech as their argument whenever India sought action against anti-India and separatist elements.

Notably, the government’s statement came a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who was earlier mentioned by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for being involved in the murder of Nijjar in September last year.

Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian diplomats were collecting information on Canadians and passing it to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. While testifying before the country’s foreign interference inquiry, Justin Trudeau claimed that the Canadian agencies tried to work behind the scenes with India before he came out with the allegation in NIjjar killings.

In the same testimony, Justin Trudeau also acknowledged that his government only provided intelligence and no proof to India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

India-Canada diplomatic relations worsened earlier this week when Canada announced that top Indian diplomats in Ottawa were persons of interest, as far as its investigation into Nijjar’s killing was concerned. In retaliation, India dismissed Canada’s stand, and recalled six of its top diplomats from Canada, including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma.

India slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cavalier attitude after he acknowledged that he had only intelligence-based speculation and no hard evidentiary proof regarding the alleged involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Issuing a statement late at night, the Ministry of External Affairs said that what they have heard only confirms what they have been saying consistently all along. Canada has presented India with no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats.

The MEA squarely blamed Justin Trudeau for the ongoing diplomatic row between the two nations, which witnessed diplomats being expelled in tit-for-tat moves, the recent in a year-long dispute that has plunged bilateral relations to a new low.

The statement sternly remarked that the responsibility for the damage that the cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.

The strongly worded response followed Justin Trudeau’s deposition at a parliamentary inquiry on foreign interference, where he addressed what he characterised as broad efforts by Indian representatives to silence critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Canadian soil.

A couple of days after both sides mutually expelled each other’s diplomats amid a worsening stand off, the Canadian leader sought to hit back by claiming that there were clear indications that India violated his country’s sovereignty.

However, PM Justin Trudeau while testifying before the Commission of Inquiry acknowledged that his government only provided intelligence and no proof to India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

Justin Trudeau stated that when Canadian agencies asked India to look into the allegations, New Delhi sought proof, and at that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof.

The diplomatic standoff between Ottawa and New Delhi has strengthened in recent weeks, with both sides accusing each other of mishandling the situation. India has repeatedly charged Canada with making baseless accusations without providing any evidence.

India has raised concerns over the safety of UN peacekeepers stationed in south Lebanon after they came under fire from Israeli forces attacking Hezbollah targets in the region. Around 600 Indian soldiers are part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, and are stationed along the 120-km Blue Line on the Israel-Lebanon border.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said that they are concerned about the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line. It added that they will continue to monitor the situation closely. It further stated that inviolability of UN premises must be respected by all, and appropriate measures taken to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and the sanctity of their mandate.

The statement follows a day after the UN said the Naqoura headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) and nearby positions have been repeatedly hit by Israeli forces.

The UN statement read that this morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall. It added that the injuries are fortunately not serious this time, but the victims remain in hospital.

Notably, the situation along the Israel-Lebanon border has escalated rapidly after the assassination of former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Israel is using land-based weaponry in this region, which increases the risk for troops stationed there.

The Israel Defence Forces 9IDF) have accused Hezbollah of operating in areas near UNIFIL posts. The IDF in a statement said that the IDF is operating in southern Lebanon and maintains routine communication with UNIFIL.

It added that on Thursday morning, IDF troops operated in the area of Naqoura, next to a UNIFIL base. Consequently, the IDF instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, following which the forces opened fire in the area.