1 week Ago By Sachin Parashar
A dramatic and unprecedented escalation in the year-long rift between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar Monday saw India recalling its high commissioner Sanjay Verma from Ottawa after Canada alleged that Verma, along with other Indian diplomats, is a ``person of interest’’ in the murder probe. Several other diplomats and officials were also recalled. A Washington Post report said that Canada had expelled 6 Indian diplomats including Verma but the Indian side insisted he had been recalled.
However, India said in a statement late in the evening it too had expelled 6 Canadian diplomats including the deputy high commissioner and acting high commissioner. Canada’s charge d’affaires Stewart Wheeler, who was summoned by India to convey the decision to recall Indian diplomats, said Canada had provided ``irrefutable’’ evidence about the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of the Canadian national. The Indian government told Wheeler, who too was expelled, that the baseless targeting of the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable and that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau government's actions endangered their safety.
``We have no faith in the current Canadian government's commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials,’’ said the government, adding it also conveyed that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India. In a scathing and lengthy response to the “ludicrous” allegation, which was conveyed to India in a diplomatic communication on Sunday, the Indian government accused Canada of pandering to the anti-India separatist agenda and threatened action against the Canadian mission here for serving the “political agenda” of the Justin Trudeau government.
The escalation by Canada followed a meeting last week between Trudeau and PM Narendra Modi in Laos after which the Canadian PM had said there were real issues between the 2 countries that needed to be addressed. Indian government sources had responded by saying that there was no substantive engagement between the leaders and that bilateral ties can only be repaired if Canada takes verifiable action against Khalistan separatists. Earlier in the day, acknowledging a diplomatic communication from Canada claiming that Verma and other diplomats are persons of interest in “a matter related to an investigation in that country”, India strongly rejected the “preposterous” imputations and ascribed them to Trudeau’s vote bank politics.
While reiterating that the Canadian government had not shared a shred of evidence to back Trudeau’s allegations last year about Indian involvement in the Nijjar case, the government said in a lengthy and scathing response that the latest assertions, which followed several rounds of exchanges between the 2 sides, were also not backed by facts. The intelligence community in both countries had remained in touch about the Nijjar probe but, according to Indian authorities, to no avail as Canada didn’t share any evidence. “This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence. In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort,” said the Indian government. “His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India.
His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard,” it added, while recalling the Trudeau government’s support to the farmers’ protests in Delhi in 2020. Taking cognisance of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India that serve the “political agenda” of the Trudeau government, the government said this had led to the implementation of the principle of reciprocity in regard to diplomatic representation. India had last year forced Canada to withdraw 41 Canadian diplomats alleging they were involved in anti-India activities.
“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,” said the government. In its response, India also said that under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, the Trudeau government has deliberately brought in India in an attempt to mitigate the damage. “This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction.
It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference,” said the government, adding the latest allegations also serve the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains. “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,” said the government. India also said some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship, while recalling that extradition requests from India in respect of terrorists and organized crime leaders living in Canada had been disregarded. It said Verma is India’s senior most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years and has been ambassador in Japan and Sudan, and also served in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China.
The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt, said the government..
