British prime minister Rishi Sunak said that he hopes to see a de-escalation of the India-Canada diplomatic row in a call with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau. The UK PM spoke to Canada's premier on the situation relating to Canadian diplomats in India, according to a Downing Street statement. Both leaders agreed to stay in contact as Rishi Sunak reaffirmed the UK position of respect for the rule of law after Canada‘s allegation of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistan wanted terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Prime Minister Trudeau updated on the situation relating to Canadian diplomats in India,” the Downing Street statement read, adding, “The Prime Minister [Sunak] reaffirmed the UK’s position that all countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law, including the principles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. He hoped to see a de-escalation in the situation and agreed to remain in contact with Prime Minister Trudeau on the next steps."
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This comes after Justin Trudeau told Canadian parliament last month that the country's security forces were "actively pursuing credible allegations" linking Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June. The allegation has been strongly rejected by the India as “absurd and motivated”.
The row resonated in the UK when Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami was blocked from a planned visit to Glasgow Gurdwara in Scotland.
{{/usCountry}}The row resonated in the UK when Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami was blocked from a planned visit to Glasgow Gurdwara in Scotland.
{{/usCountry}}“Concerned to see that the Indian High Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, was stopped from meeting with the Gurudwara Committee at the Gurudwara in Glasgow. The safety and security of foreign diplomats is of utmost importance and our places of worship in the UK must be open to all,” Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the UK foreign office minister for Indo-Pacific wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).