India expelled six Canadian diplomats and instructed them to leave the country by October 19 on Monday. The expulsion came hours after India summoned Canada’s Charge d’Affaires, Stewart Wheeler, to protest against the “baseless targeting” of Indian diplomats in Canada.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the expulsion of several high-ranking Canadian officials, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler and Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert, along with four other diplomats. “They have been asked to leave India by or before 11:59 pm on Saturday, October 19, 2024,” the MEA said in a statement.
This move follows India’s earlier decision to withdraw its High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, and other diplomats, citing safety concerns amidst an atmosphere of “extremism and violence” fueled by the Trudeau government.
“Canadian Charge d’Affaires was informed that the baseless targeting of Indian diplomats in Canada is unacceptable,” the MEA said, adding that it reserves the right to take further action in response to Canada’s perceived support for extremism and separatism.
The diplomatic fallout between the two countries worsened after Canada’s government reportedly identified Indian diplomats as “persons of interest” in an ongoing investigation, which New Delhi dismissed as “preposterous” and politically motivated.
“Since Prime Minister Trudeau made unsubstantiated allegations in September 2023, Canada has failed to provide any evidence despite multiple requests,” the MEA said, accusing Trudeau’s government of exploiting the situation for political gains.
Tensions between the nations have been simmering since Trudeau’s allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist, in June 2023. India denied any involvement, calling the accusations “absurd” and accusing Canada of harboring extremist elements.
The MEA criticized Trudeau for fostering an environment where extremists could “harass and threaten Indian diplomats” and condemned Canada’s history of fast-tracking citizenship for individuals linked to illegal activities.
“To that end, the Trudeau Government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada. This has included death threats to them and to Indian leaders. All these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech. Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship,” the MEA’s statement read.
India has also expressed frustration over Canada’s failure to act on multiple extradition requests for individuals involved in organized crime and terrorism. “The principle of reciprocity in diplomatic representation will be applied as necessary,” the MEA said, hinting at possible future measures.
It said that multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organized crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded,” it added.
“The Government of India has taken cognizance of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India that serve the political agenda of the current regime. This led to the implementation of the principle of reciprocity in regard to diplomatic representation. India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats,” it added.
The ties between India and Canada soured after Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that he has “credible allegations” of India’s hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India has denied all the allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated” and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country. Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year.
(Inputs from ANI)