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India asks Canada to withdraw dozens of diplomats amid Nijjar killing row
The move is said to be in response to a request from the Indian external affairs ministry for "parity in strength and rank equivalence" in diplomatic presence.
India has asked Canada to withdraw several dozen diplomats from its missions in the country, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday amid the diplomatic row over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Read here: Hardeep Nijjar killing: Trudeau says Canada not keen to escalate tensions with India
The move follows an announcement by the external affairs ministry last month that the Canadian government had been informed about the need for “parity in strength and rank equivalence” in mutual diplomatic presence. This was expected to lead to a reduction in Canada’s diplomatic presence, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said.
Since the announcement by the ministry, an exercise was carried out to determine the number of diplomats Canada would be asked to withdraw, one of the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. “That exercise has been completed and the number has been conveyed to the Canadian side,” he said, without giving details.
A second person added, “We had already spoken about the need for parity in mutual diplomatic presence. The number of Canadian diplomats in India is much higher.”
The people didn’t provide specific details about the number of diplomats Canada will have to withdraw. A report by Financial Times said Canada has 62 diplomats in India and India has asked for this figure to be reduced by 41 people. The Canadian diplomats must be repatriated by October 10, the report said.
“One person said India had threatened to revoke the diplomatic immunity of diplomats who remain after that date,” Financial Times reported.
Canada has a larger diplomatic presence in India because of the needs of the consular sections at its missions, which handle the high volume of visa applications from the country, the people cited above said. The people did not rule out the possibility of Canadian visa services being affected by the withdrawal of a large number of diplomats.
Trudeau refused to confirm reports about India asking Canada to downsize its diplomatic presence while talking with reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday but said his government doesn’t want to “escalate the situation”. Asked if his government will retaliate by telling India to remove diplomats from Canada, he said it is “important for us to have diplomats on the ground working with the Indian government there to support Canadians and Canadian families”.
“Obviously, we’re going through an extremely challenging time with India right now,” Trudeau said. “We’re taking this extremely seriously, but we’re going to continue to engage responsibly and constructively with the government of India.”
He added, “We’re not looking to escalate, as I’ve said. We’re going to be doing the work that matters in continuing to have constructive relations with India through this extremely difficult time.”
The development marks a further escalation of the diplomatic spat over the killing of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was shot dead in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in the town of Surrey in British Columbia on June 18. Hours after Trudeau’s claim on September 18 of a “potential link” between Indian government agents and the killing of Nijjar, India dismissed the accusation as “absurd and motivated”.
The two countries carried out tit-for-tat expulsions of senior diplomats. India subsequently suspended all visa services for Canadian nationals and asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar has said India is yet to receive any information through official channels from Canada that back up Trudeau’s allegation. He also said New Delhi will consider any information provided by Canada, while making it clear that it is not the Indian government’s policy to engage in acts such as the killing of Nijjar.
Nijjar was earlier designated a terrorist by the Indian government for his involvement in pro-Khalistan activities, and the external affairs ministry has described Canada as a “safe haven” for extremists and terrorists.
Read here: India asks Canada to recall several dozen diplomats
External affairs ministry spokesperson Bagchi told a media briefing on September 19 that Canada should act on “very specific evidence” shared by India about criminal activities by terrorists and extremists based on Canadian soil. He also pointed to Pakistan’s involvement in funding and supporting such elements in Canada.
Canada’s allies in the West, including the US and the UK, have sought to strike a balance between backing Ottawa on the issue and maintaining strong ties with India, which they see as a counterweight to China.
