Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie announced that her country had withdrawn 41 diplomats from India, amid a dispute over the killing of a Sikh activist, adding that Ottawa “will not take retaliatory steps.”
Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi deteriorated after Canada hinted at New Delhi’s involvement in the killing of Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nigar, a Sikh leader, by shooting him on June 18 in the Surrey suburb of Vancouver.
Last month, New Delhi asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was credible evidence of a possible link between Indian agents and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nigar, whom India describes as a “terrorist.”
Jolie said India had threatened to unilaterally revoke the diplomats’ official status by Friday unless they leave.
She said the move was unreasonable, unprecedented, and clearly violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, she said.The Guardian“.
She added in a press conference: “Given the ramifications of India’s actions on the safety of our diplomats, we have facilitated their safe departure from India.”
She continued, “If we allow the rule of diplomatic immunity to be broken, no diplomat anywhere on this planet will be safe, and for this reason, we will not respond in kind.”
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Trudeau publicly linked Najjar’s killing to Indian intelligence, and Canada called on India to cooperate in the investigation, but New Delhi rejected these accusations and took countermeasures, such as closing visa services for Canadians.
Ottawa also expelled an Indian diplomat, whom it described as leading Indian foreign intelligence in Canada, which prompted New Delhi to respond by ordering a Canadian diplomat to leave.
India rejected accusations that its agents were involved in the assassination of Singh Nigar and described this claim as “ridiculous.”
Indian External Affairs Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar said last month in New York that his country is ready to examine any evidence provided by Canada.
Jaishankar added that his country had previously provided Canadians with “a lot of information about the organized crime leadership operating out of Canada,” referring to Sikh separatists.
The Indian Foreign Minister added, earlier, that there is a “climate of violence” and “an atmosphere of intimidation” against Indian diplomats in Canada, in which the presence of Sikh separatist groups has frustrated New Delhi.
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2023-10-20 04:03:34
