India-Canada Tensions Rise as Both Countries Expel Diplomats!
The Indian government has mandated the removal of six Canadian diplomats. Among those affected is Canada’s Acting High Commissioner, Stewart Ross Wheeler, who must depart the country by 11:59 PM on Saturday, October 19, 2024.
Canada expels 6 Indian diplomats, government source says..
Canada has expelled six Indian diplomats following police reports indicating that these officials were involved in an Indian government “campaign of violence,” as stated by a government source to Reuters on Monday.
The Washington Post previously reported on the expulsion of the diplomats. In response, India recalled its envoy to Canada on Monday, along with other officials and diplomats identified by Ottawa as persons of interest in an ongoing investigation, according to the Indian foreign ministry.
New Delhi dismissed the “preposterous imputations” made by Canada in a diplomatic communication on Sunday, asserting that it was part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “political agenda” focused on “vote bank politics.”
The foreign ministry further indicated that it summoned the Canadian chargé d’affaires on Monday to express that the “baseless targeting” of Indian diplomats and officials in Canada was “completely unacceptable.”
“We lack confidence in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security. Consequently, the Government of India has resolved to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials,” the statement read.
India also stated that it “reserves” the right to take additional measures in response to the Canadian government’s “support for extremism, violence, and separatism against India,” as noted in the statement.
Relations between New Delhi and Ottawa have deteriorated since September 2023, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada was “pursuing credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian agents and the assassination of a Canadian Sikh separatist leader earlier that year. This statement elicited a strong denial from New Delhi.
India has consistently asserted that Canada has failed to provide any evidence to substantiate its claims. The recent developments follow a series of interactions characterized by assertions lacking factual support. This situation suggests that, under the guise of an investigation, there is a calculated effort to tarnish India’s reputation for political advantage, as stated by Indian officials.
India has declared its right to take further actions in response to the Canadian government’s latest attempts to fabricate allegations against Indian diplomats. Additionally, it accused the Trudeau administration of deliberately allowing violent extremists and terrorists to threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada.
In October 2023, Canada withdrew over 40 diplomats from India after New Delhi requested a reduction in Ottawa’s diplomatic presence. Earlier in June, a committee of Canadian parliamentarians identified India and China as primary foreign threats to its democratic institutions, based on intelligence agency assessments.
Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s envoy in Ottawa, labeled the report as politically motivated and influenced by Sikh separatist activists. Earlier this year, Trudeau expressed hope that India would “engage with us so that we can get to the bottom of this very serious matter.”
Following Canada’s allegations, the United States claimed that Indian agents were involved in an attempted assassination plot against another Sikh separatist leader in New York in 2023, and indicated that an Indian national had been indicted for acting on behalf of an unnamed Indian government official.
In contrast to its vehement response to Canadian claims, India expressed concern regarding the U.S. allegations, distancing itself from the situation.
