India has decided to expel six Canadian diplomats. The move is a result of rising tensions between the two countries following the killing of pro-Khalistan Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. India’s stance. The Indian government has ordered 6 Canadian diplomats to leave the country. They include Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert, and four other officials.
The Indian foreign ministry has asked the diplomats to leave the country by October 19. India has also recalled its High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, and other Indian diplomats. India maintains that the security of Indian diplomats in Canada is at risk. “The Canadian government is deliberately trying to defame India. India tried to talk to Canada to reduce the India-Canada tension, but there was no result.
India’s response to Canada’s allegations In an official communication, Canada has accused the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats of involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had strong evidence that Indian agents were involved in the killing. India has categorically rejected these allegations. The Ministry of External Affairs said the Trudeau government was accusing India without any evidence.
“Canada continues to harbor violent extremists and terrorists who threaten Indian diplomats and leaders of the Indian community there,” the ministry said. Status and political influence of Sikhs in Canada Canada has a large population of people of Indian origin, with the Sikh community being of particular importance. The Sikh population in Canada has doubled in the last 20 years. There is a large network of gurdwaras in cities like Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary. The Canadian Prime Minister is also jokingly called Justin ‘Singh’ Trudeau due to his liberal attitude towards Sikhs. There is also a political dimension to this situation.
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, whose roots trace back to Punjab, is supporting the Trudeau government. Jagmeet Singh has criticized India on several occasions and has also attended pro-Khalistan rallies. Tensions have escalated between the two countries since Nijjar’s killing. The diplomatic crisis and the Najjar case have deeply affected India-Canada relations. Tensions have soared between the two countries since the killing. India had stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens, and the situation continued till November 2023. As many as 41 diplomats from the Indian mission in Canada had to be repatriated. India believes that the Canadian government is playing vote bank politics and targeting Indian diplomats.
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Canada, on the other hand, says it is protecting its citizens in the name of freedom of expression. This tension is raising a big question about the long-standing good relations between the two countries. In the coming days, it will be interesting to see how the two countries resolve this issue and try to bring their relations back on track.
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