In response to Ottawa’s announcement that it was investigating into its Indian ambassador and other diplomats as “persons of interest” following the death of a Sikh separatist leader last year, India on Monday insisted that Canadian diplomats located in New Delhi vacate by Saturday.
In a tit-for-tat move, Canada has also requested the departure of six Indian diplomats following evidence gathered by Canadian police that the diplomats were involved in a “campaign of violence” by the Indian government.
Deepening rift between India and Canada
India had called Canada’s Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler earlier today to express its disapproval of the utterly unjustified attacks on the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada.
New Delhi said it has “no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security” and withdrew its own ambassadors.
New Delhi stated that their envoy, Sanjay Kumar Verma, is a respected career diplomat who served as ambassador to Sudan and Japan in the past. The accusations made against him are “absurd and deserve to be treated with contempt”.
It stated that the Trudeau administration’s actions put their safety at risk in an environment of extremism and violence, and that as a result, India chose to withdraw its High Commissioner to Canada as well as other targeted diplomats and officials.
According to the government, given the “Trudeau Government’s support for extremism, violence, and separatism against India,” India retains the right to take more action.
“Prime Minister Trudeau’s enmity towards India is well-known. His Cabinet comprises members who have publicly aligned themselves with an extreme and separatist agenda regarding India. His visible interference in internal Indian political affairs in December 2020 demonstrated the extent of his willingness to act in this manner,” the Ministry stated.
Nijjar, who came to Canada in 1997 and obtained citizenship in 2015, had long supported the creation of a separate Sikh state, known as Khalistan, carved out of India. He was wanted by Indian authorities for suspected acts of terrorism and murderous conspiracy.
Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusations in September of last year regarding the “potential” participation of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar, relations between India and Canada were severely strained.
In June of last year, Nijjar was shot and killed in Surrey, British Columbia. Trudeau’s accusations were dismissed as “absurd” by New Delhi.