New Delhi, Oct 14 (EFE).- The Indian government on Monday recalled its ambassador and other diplomats from Canada following Ottawa’s decision to investigate the diplomats in connection with the 2023 murder of a Sikh leader.
“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,” the Indian ministry of external affairs said in a statement.
The ministry criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, claiming that it had fostered an “atmosphere of extremism and violence,” thereby endangering the “safety” of Indian diplomats.
The decision was communicated to Canada’s chargé d’affaires in New Delhi, who was summoned to the ministry and informed that the “baseless targeting” of Indian diplomats was “completely unacceptable.”
“It was 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.”
Later, the ministry announced that the Indian government had “decided to expel” six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, from the country.
“They have been asked to leave India by or before 11:59 PM on Saturday, October 19,” the statement added.
Earlier in the day, the ministry said that it had been informed by Canadian authorities that India’s ambassador to Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma, and other diplomats were considered “persons of interest” in an ongoing investigation in Canada.
Tensions between India and Canada escalated in 2023 after Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh community leader in Canada who had been accused of terrorism by Indian authorities.
Trudeau’s accusations triggered a diplomatic standoff, leading to the withdrawal of 41 Canadian diplomats from New Delhi at the end of 2023.
India has accused Trudeau of using the accusations to garner political support, emphasizing that it has not received any evidence from Canada to link New Delhi to Nijjar’s murder.
Nijjar had advocated for the creation of an independent Sikh state called Khalistan in India’s Punjab region.
India has also accused Canada of being lenient with pro-Khalistan separatists, claiming that it has provided “space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada.” EFE
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