India – Canada Row: After India formally asked Canada to recall its 41 diplomats from India, Canada’s Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly, spoke on Canada’s willingness to engage in private discussions with New Delhi to resolve the diplomatic crisis.
Canadian Minister responds
On Tuesday, there were reports that India has formally requested Canada to withdraw approximately 40 diplomats by October 10. According to these reports, the Indian government has additionally warned that it may revoke the diplomatic immunity of any Canadian diplomat who stays in the country beyond the specified deadline.
The Canadian Minister said, “We are in contact with the government of India. We take Canadian diplomats’ safety very seriously and we will continue to engage privately because we think diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private.”
According to reports, India had asked Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff in India from 62 to 41 diplomats. It’s worth noting that as of the current moment, neither India nor Canada has issued an official response to this report. In a separate development on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that his country has no intention of exacerbating the situation with India.
India-Canada diplomatic tensions continue to rise
Diplomatic relations between the two nations have recently soured due to allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, suggesting the ‘potential’ involvement of Indian agents in the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was killed by two masked assailants on June 18 in British Columbia.
However, India responded strongly, categorically rejecting these allegations as both ‘absurd’ and ‘politically motivated.’ In a retaliatory move following Canada’s expulsion of an Indian official linked to the case, the Indian government also expelled a senior Canadian diplomat. Subsequently, the visa services were also stopped.
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