"India has just thrown the kitchen sink on Trudeau. From here on the language will only become more strident, perhaps even personal," - Sushant Sareen, an expert on strategic matters.
The Govt of India has recalled its top envoy to Ottawa and expelled six Canadian diplomats from the country. The row comes as Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is under political pressure at home, after surviving a second no-confidence vote earlier this month.
As they say, diplomatic gloves have been replaced. Knives are out between India and Canada as both countries have now expelled six diplomats each.
India has withdrawn its high commissioner in Canada, and the Canadian police have claimed 'details' about the alleged link between the "agents" of the Indian government and the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
MEA said Indian envoy to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, a former ambassador to Japan and Sudan, was a respected career diplomat and that the accusations were “ludicrous”.
The developments followed Ottawa naming India’s High Commissioner to Canada and a few other diplomats as 'persons of interest' in the investigation into Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder.
In response, India initially announced the withdrawal of High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and the other diplomats from Canada.
Soon after, India said it was expelling six Canadian diplomats from New Delhi, including the acting High Commissioner. All of them have been asked to leave India by the end of this week.
India expelled six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert, and First Secretaries Marie Catherine Joly, lan Ross David Trites, Adam James Chuipka, and Paula Orjuela. They have been asked to leave India in five days -- by 11.59 pm on Saturday, October 19.
Earlier, in a statement announcing the withdrawal of India's High Commissioner to Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government's actions endangered the diplomats' 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 MEA statement said.
Earlier in the day, Canadian Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi, Stewart Wheeler, was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs. He was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable.
It was also conveyed that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau Government's support for extremism, violence and separatism against India, the MEA statement said.
After leaving the MEA office in New Delhi, Wheeler asserted that India has to live up to what it said it would do with regard to Ottawa's allegations.
"Canada has provided credible, irrefutable evidence of ties between agents of the Government of India and the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil. Now, it is time for India to live up to what it said it would do and look into all those allegations", Wheeler said.
"It is in the interest of both our countries and the people of our countries to get to the bottom of this. Canada stands ready to cooperate with India", he added.
On Monday morning, India sent out a scathing response to Canada's allegations, calling them "preposterous imputations".
The Ministry of External Affairs said the Canadian government did not share a shred of evidence of India's involvement in Nijjar's killing despite repeated requests and accused Trudeau of doing vote bank politics and not doing enough to tackle separatist elements on Canadian soil.
Diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have taken a plunge since September last year, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian government agents' involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
New Delhi rejected those charges as "motivated and absurd".
Canada is home to around 770,000 Sikhs, who make up about two per cent of the country’s population, with a vocal minority calling for an independent state of Khalistan.
What led to India-Canada diplomatic row?
The diplomatic tension between India and Canada was sparked by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in Parliament in September 2023. Trudeau had revealed that his government is "actively pursuing credible allegations" linking Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on its soil.
India had dismissed these claims as “absurd and motivated”. The Ministry of External Affairs said the “unsubstantiated allegations” sought to shift focus away from “Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have been provided shelter in Canada”.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Najjar was a Khalistani separatist who was gunned down on Canadian soil in June 2023. He was a Canadian citizen but a designated terrorist in India. Nijjar supported the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India. Khalistani sepratists talk about an unofficial Khalistan referendum vote seeking a separate Sikh state.
Why PM Justin Trudeau might not condemn Khalistan extremism
Canada is set to go to polls in 2025. Ahead of the elections, PM Trudeau's handling of the killing of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar seems to indicate a subtle dissociation from a right-wing leader in order to propel his static year-over-year at 31 per cent popularity as the best choice for prime minister candidate.
Canada houses the second highest Sikh population in the world, after India. Currently, Canada has a Sikh population of more than 770,000, or about 2 per cent of its total population.
Earlier this year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suffered a major political blow on Wednesday when Jagmeet Singh's New Democratic Party leader in parliament pulled its support for his minority Liberal government. Jagmeet Singh is believed to be a Khalistan sympathiser.
The Liberals currently have 154 seats in the 338 Canadian House of Commons. The Conservates hold 119 and the New Democratic Party (NDP) 24. The Bloc Québécois, a party based only in Quebec and is devoted to Quebec sovereignty, has 32 seats.
New trouble for Justin Trudeau: Amid mounting discontent, 20 Liberal MP ’sign pact’ to topple Canadian PM
According to CBC News, at least 20 leaders have signed the document in Ottawa calling for a change in leadership.
Earlier Toronto Star, citing unidentified people, reported about an effort to publicly pressure on Prime Minister Trudeau to step down.
The report further said at least 30 to 40 MPs are ready to sign a letter demanding a change in leadership. The number of dissenting MPs, however, may fall short of a critical mass.
ends
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