The government announced the withdrawal of the High Commissioner and other diplomats, citing concerns over their safety due to Trudeau govt's actions amid rising extremism.
India will withdraw its High Commissioner in Canada after the North American country linked him and other Indian diplomats to an investigation where they are ‘persons of interest’, a statement issued by the external affairs ministry Monday evening said.
India also expelled six Canadian diplomats and asked them to leave India by or before October 19, 2024, Saturday.
The external affairs ministry summoned the Canadian envoy on Monday, a day after it said it received diplomatic communication from Canada which said that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country.
The Canadian chargé d’affaires to India is Stewart Wheeler appeared in place of Cameron MacKay, the High Commissioner for Canada in India, as the latter is not present in the country. Wheeler is among the diplomats who have been asked to leave.
Patrick Hebert (deputy high commissioner), Marie Catherine Joly (first secretary), lan Ross David Trites (first secretary), Adam James Chuipka (first secretary) and Paula Orjuela (first secretary) were the other diplomats who have been expelled.
The withdrawal of the High Commissioner and other diplomats by India indicates a significant downgrading of ties with Canada.
“We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security,” the external affairs ministry conveyed to Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stephen Wheeler, who was summoned by the ministry. The ministry had summoned Cameron MacKay, the High Commissioner for Canada in India, but he is not present in the country.
“It was underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government’s actions endangered their safety. We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials,” the statement by the MEA said.
“The Canadian Charge d’Affaires was summoned by Secretary (East) this evening. He was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable,” the statement released by the MEA said.
The officials at the MEA also told Wheeler that ‘India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau Government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India’.
Canadian officials were informed clearly that their behaviour and conduct are not conducive to diplomatic solutions, sources told CNN-News18. They also claimed that Canada is ‘applying unnecessary pressure on behalf of terrorists’ without providing evidence.
Indian Diplomats Asked To Leave
Canadian news media outlets reported that Canada has sent notices asking six diplomats to leave the country. They also said that a notice was also sent to Indian envoy to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) held a press conference where they claimed that Indian diplomats were asked to leave.
“There are links tying Indian agents to homicides in India. Indian diplomats in Canada use their positions to conduct clandestine activities and collect information for India,” they said in a press conference.
They said that ‘evidence was presented’ to India and added that the RCMP will ‘not tolerate any harassment or violence to Canadian citizens’. The RCMP also blamed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his syndicate for targeting pro-Khalistani elements in Canada.
“The South Asian-Canadian community is the target,” RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme claimed.
The RCMP did not provide details or specify any cases where Indian diplomats were involved.
Canadian minister for foreign affairs Mélanie Joly later in a statement said the diplomats were expelled after RCMP ‘gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence’.
“The decision to expel these individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case. We continue to ask that the Indian government support the ongoing investigation in the Nijjar case,” Joly said.
The relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a ‘potential’ involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar.
He was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia, in June last year. New Delhi had rejected Trudeau’s charges as ‘absurd’.
