Lucknow Press
India on Monday expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced the recall of its High Commissioner and other “targeted” diplomats and officials from Canada, categorically rejecting Canada’s allegations that Indian diplomats were linked to the investigation into the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India’s decision to recall High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and some other diplomats came shortly after Canada’s Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheelers was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs. Wheelers was given a clear message that the baseless targeting of Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats and officials is completely unacceptable.
The American newspaper ‘Washington Post’ has published a news quoting some unnamed Canadian officials that Canada has ordered six Indian diplomats to leave the country on Monday, including Verma and the top official of the consulate in Toronto. It is understood that Verma and other officials will return from Canada in the next few days.
In a statement issued late in the evening, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India has asked six Canadian diplomats, including Charge d’Affaires Wheelers and Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert, to leave India on or before 11:59 pm on October 19. The other diplomats expelled include Mary Catherine Joly, Ian Ross David Trites, Adam James Chuipka and Paula Orjuela (all First Secretaries).
India has termed the allegations against Indian High Commissioner Verma as “fabricated” and “absurd” and said they were linked to the political agenda of the Trudeau government which is focused on vote bank politics. The Ministry of External Affairs said that India received a “diplomatic communication” from Canada yesterday stating that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are “under observation” of an ongoing investigation in that country in connection with a case.
Foreign Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar summoned the Canadian Charge d’Affaires and told him that the Trudeau government’s actions in an atmosphere of violence and extremism had endangered the safety of Indian diplomats and other officials.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “We have no confidence in the current Canadian government’s commitment to their safety. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials who are being targeted.”
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “It has also been informed that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau government’s support to extremism, violence and separatism against India.”
Relations between India and Canada came under severe strain after Prime Minister Trudeau in September last year levelled allegations of “possible” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Nijjar, who was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia in June last year.
New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd”. Canadian Charge d’Affaires Wheelers told reporters here that his government had done what India had been saying for a long time. “Canada has provided authentic and undeniable evidence of links between agents of the Indian government and the killers of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil. Now it is time for India to live up to its promise and investigate those allegations,” he said.
Wheelers said, “It is in the interest of both countries and the people of our countries to get to the bottom of this. Canada is ready to cooperate with India in this matter.” Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest attempts by the Canadian government to make fabricated allegations against Indian diplomats.
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “Prime Minister Trudeau made some allegations in September 2023 and the Government of Canada has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India since then despite multiple requests from us.” The Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement, “His clear interference in India’s internal politics in December 2020 shows how far he was trying to go in this regard.
India was apparently referring to the statements made by the Canadian leader during the farmers’ protest. On Canada’s recent allegations, the Foreign Ministry said, “This leaves no doubt that this is a deliberate strategy to defame India for political gain under the pretext of investigation.”
It said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s hostile attitude towards India has been evident for a long time. The ministry said that Trudeau visited India in 2018 with the aim of wooing the vote bank, but it proved to be uncomfortable for him. The Ministry of External Affairs said, “His cabinet includes individuals who are openly associated with extremist and separatist agenda with respect to India.”
“His government’s reliance on a political party whose leaders openly espouse separatist ideology towards India has only made matters worse,” it said. “His government, which has faced criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, has deliberately implicated India in this in an effort to minimise the damage,” the foreign ministry said. It said the latest development targeting Indian diplomats is the next step in that direction.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “It is no coincidence that this incident has taken place at a time when Prime Minister Trudeau is to testify before a commission on foreign interference.” It said, “It also promotes the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau government has consistently promoted for narrow political gain.”
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “Towards this end, the Trudeau government has deliberately provided space for violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada. This includes threatening to kill them and Indian leaders.”
“All these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech. Some people who entered Canada illegally were swiftly granted citizenship. Several extradition requests from the Indian government regarding terrorists and people associated with organized crime living in Canada have been ignored,” he said.
The Ministry of External Affairs said High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s most senior serving diplomat with an illustrious career spanning 36 years. “He has been ambassador to Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkey, Vietnam and China. The allegations leveled against him by the Canadian government are ridiculous and deserve contempt,” the ministry said.
It said, “The Government of India has taken note of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India which appear to serve the political agenda of the current regime.” Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau had a “brief conversation” on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos.
