New Delhi. India on Monday announced the withdrawal of its High Commissioner from Canada and other diplomats and officials “being targeted”. India has taken this action while categorically rejecting Canada’s allegations of linking diplomats to the investigation of the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Foreign Ministry announced the decision shortly after summoning Canada’s Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheelers. The message to Wheelers was clear that the baseless targeting of Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats and officials is completely unacceptable. India termed the allegations against Indian High Commissioner Verma as “contrived” and “absurd” and linked to the political agenda of the Trudeau government, which focuses on vote bank politics.
The Ministry of External Affairs said India received a “diplomatic communication yesterday from Canada stating that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘following’ the ongoing investigation in connection with a case in that country”. Jaideep Majumdar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, summoned Canada’s ambassador charge d’affaires and was told that the Trudeau government’s actions in an environment of violence and extremism have jeopardized the safety of Indian diplomats and other officials.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “We have no confidence in the current Canadian government’s commitment to their security.” Therefore, the Government of India has decided to recall the High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials being targeted.” The Ministry of External Affairs said, “It is also 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.”
‘Washington Post’ has published the news quoting some Canadian officials without disclosing their names that Canada on Monday has ordered six Indian diplomats to leave the country, including Verma and top officials of the Consulate in Toronto. It is understood that Verma and other officials will return from Canada in the next few days.
In September last year, relations between India and Canada were severely strained after Prime Minister Trudeau alleged the ‘possible’ involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Nijjar. Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia in June last year. New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s allegations as ‘absurd’. Canadian Ambassador-in-Charge Wheelers told reporters here that his government has done what India has been saying for a long time.
He said, “Canada has provided authentic and irrefutable evidence of links between agents of the Indian government and the murderers of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.” Now the time has come for India to live up to its promise and investigate those allegations.” 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 Government of Canada to make trumped-up allegations against Indian diplomats.
The Ministry of External Affairs said, “Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023 and the Government of Canada has not shared even 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 wanted to go in this regard.” India was apparently referring to the Canadian leader’s statements during the farmers’ movement.
On Canada’s recent allegations, the Foreign Ministry said, “There is no doubt that this is a deliberately planned strategy to defame India for political gains in the name of investigation.” He said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s hostile nature towards India has been evident for a long time. The ministry said that Trudeau had visited India in 2018 with the aim of cultivating 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.” He said, “His government is dependent on a political party whose leaders openly support separatist ideology towards India, which made the matter worse.” The Foreign Ministry said, “His government, which has come under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, has deliberately included India in an effort to minimize the damage.” He said that this latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction.
“It is no coincidence that this incident occurred at a time when Prime Minister Trudeau is scheduled to testify before a commission on foreign interference,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “It also promotes the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau government has consistently promoted for narrow political gains,” it said. The Ministry of External Affairs said, “For this purpose, the Trudeau government has deliberately given space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada. “This also includes threatening to kill him and other Indian leaders.” He said, “All these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech. Some people who entered Canada illegally were rapidly granted citizenship. “Many extradition requests from the Government of India in relation to terrorists and people associated with organized crime living in Canada have been ignored.” The Ministry of External Affairs said that High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s most senior serving diplomat, who has had an illustrious career spanning 36 years.
The ministry said, “He has been ambassador to Japan and Sudan, while he has also served in Italy, Turkey, Vietnam and China.” “The allegations leveled against him by the Government of Canada are ridiculous and worthy of contempt.” It said, “The Government of India has taken cognizance of the activities of the High Commission of Canada in India which works on the political agenda of the current regime.” Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau had ‘brief talks’ on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos.