India – Canada Row: India has reportedly asked Canada to recall a substantial number of its diplomats from the country, as tensions escalate following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s allegations connecting Indian agents to the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Canadian diplomats’ presence to be scaled down
This decision comes in response to a statement made by India’s external affairs ministry in the previous month, in which they informed the Canadian government about the necessity for “parity in strength and rank equivalence” in the bilateral diplomatic presence. As a result, it was anticipated that Canada’s diplomatic presence would be scaled down, as indicated by Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the external affairs ministry.
Following the ministry’s announcement, there has been an ongoing effort to assess the specific number of diplomats that Canada would be requested to recall, one of the sources who preferred to remain anonymous said, “That exercise has been completed and the number has been conveyed to the Canadian side.”
According to a report, Canada currently has 62 diplomats stationed in India, and India has requested a reduction of this number by 41 individuals. The report further indicates that the Canadian diplomats are expected to be repatriated by October 10. Canada maintains a larger diplomatic presence in India due to the demands placed on its consular sections, which handle a significant influx of visa applications from the country, as mentioned by the sources.
Diplomatic turmoil between India & Canada
This recent development signifies a heightened escalation in the ongoing diplomatic dispute surrounding the assassination of Nijjar, a Pro-Khalistani leader who was fatally shot in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. Mere hours following Prime Minister Trudeau’s assertion on September 18 of a “potential link” between Indian government agents and the assassination of Nijjar in June, India swiftly dismissed the accusation as “absurd and motivated.”
In response to these tensions, both nations engaged in reciprocal expulsions of senior diplomats, with India further suspending all visa services for Canadian citizens.
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