The Indian High Commission in Ottawa has taken up the issue of denial of entry to two Punjab MLAs with the Canadian government, seeking to know the circumstances and reasons for the action by the immigration authorities.
In a reply to Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K.P. Singh, who had raised the issue of denial of entry of two AAP MLAs — Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Amarjit Singh Sandoa — at the Ottawa airport on July 21, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj has disclosed that the office immediately contacted the High Commissioner in Ottawa to ascertain the facts.
In the letter to the Speaker, Ms. Sushma Swaraj wrote, “We take all matters pertaining to members of our legislative bodies very seriously. In fact, the moment I was apprised of the treatment meted out to the two AAP MLAs by the Canadian authorities, my office immediately contacted the High Commissioner in Ottawa to ascertain the facts.”
She further wrote, “I fully agree with you that elected members of our Assemblies deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect whenever they travel abroad. The Canadian foreign office has sent the mission an interim response stating that ‘consultations with the Canadian Border Services Agency are ongoing to determine a comprehensive response’. Our Mission will continue to pursue this issue with the Canadian side to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future."
The External Affairs Minister also said that Indian diplomats in Canada were unaware of the visit of these two MLAs. “Neither was the Indian External Affairs Ministry informed of the visit nor the requisite political clearance sought,” the letter added.