New Delhi, September 19: On Tuesday, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in retaliation for Canada’s expulsion of a senior Indian ambassador.
The action was taken in response to India’s rejection of Justin Trudeau’s claim that India was involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June as “absurd and motivated”
Cameron MacKay, the Canadian High Commissioner to India, was called to the Ministry of External Affairs’ South Block offices today.
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, the High Commissioner of Canada to India was called in today and advised of the Indian government’s determination to expulse a senior Canadian diplomat stationed there.
The diplomat in question has been told to leave India within the next five days. The decision “reflects the Government of India’s growing concern over the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and their involvement in anti-Indian activities,'” it stated.
In response to suspicions that India was involved in the murder of the Khalistani chieftain, Melanie Joly, the foreign minister of Canada, said on Monday that one Indian diplomat had been expelled from Canada.
At a press conference, Joly said, “We see this potential breach of sovereignty as completely unacceptable, and that is also the reason we’re coming (out) with this information (of the expulsion of the Indian diplomat) today.”
India, however, denied the claims Trudeau made in front of the Canadian Parliament.
In a formal statement, the MEA said that it had “heard and rejects the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as well as the statement of their Foreign Minister.”
Allegations of the Indian government’s “involvement in any act of violence in Canada” were called “absurd and motivated,” according to a statement.
According to the official statement, “Similar claims were made to our Prime Minister by the Canadian Prime Minister and were categorically denied.”
India is a democratic country with a strong commitment to the rule of law, according to the statement.
“Such baseless accusations aim to divert attention away from Khalistani terrorists and radicals, who have received protection in Canada and continue to pose a danger to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Long-standing and persistent concerns have been raised about the Canadian government’s passivity on this issue, according to the MEA statement.
According to the press release, Canadian government officials have publicly declared their support for such forces, and this continues to be a cause for grave worry.
According to the press release, “the space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking, and organised crime is not new.”
Any efforts to link the government to such occurrences have been categorically denied by India.
The MEA demanded that “all anti-India elements operating from their soil” be promptly and effectively prosecuted by the Canadian government.
According to CBC News, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday charged the Indian government of orchestrating Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder in Canada.
On June 18, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Najjar—who was sought in India—was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara.
Nijjar was living in Surrey and had been labelled a “absconder” by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He came from the hamlet of Bharsinghpur in the Punjabi city of Jalandhar.
The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, asserted earlier on Monday during a debate in the Canadian Parliament that his nation’s national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents of the Indian government” were responsible for the murder of the Canadian citizen who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
According to Trudeau, “Canadian security agencies have been actively investigating credible allegations of a possible connection between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”
He said that it was unacceptable for a foreign government or individual to be involved in the murder of a Canadian person inside the borders of Canada.
“It is an intolerable breach of our sovereignty when a foreign government is involved in the murder of a Canadian person on Canadian territory. It goes against the basic norms that govern behaviour in free, open, and democratic countries, said Trudeau.
He informed further that he was coordinating with Canadian allies on this issue.
“As you would expect, we have been working closely and coordinating with our allies on this very serious matter,” he said.
