New Delhi, Oct 14 (NVI): Indicating worsening of bilateral ties, India announced today withdrawal of its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other “targeted diplomats and officials” in Canada as their safety had been “endangered” by the Trudeau government there.
The announcement came in the wake of Canadian government’s communication to India yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are “persons of interest” in a matter related to investigation in that country, an apparent reference to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani separatist.
The mention of “persons of interest” in relation to investigation implies that their role was suspected in the killing of Nijjar in Canada by unidentified gunmen on June 18 last year.
The External Affairs Ministry, while rubbishing the Canada’s contention, summoned its Charge d’Affaires this evening to tell him that “the baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable”.
Secretary (East) in the External Affairs Ministry conveyed to the Canadian diplomat that “in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government’s actions endangered” the safety of the Indian High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.
“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 Ministry said.
“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,” said a statement issued by the Ministry.
Earlier, in a separate statement, the External Affairs Ministry said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made certain “preposterous imputations” after Nijjar’s killing because of “vote bank politics” but provided no evidence.
“We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country,” it said.
“The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics,” the statement said.
Highlighting that Verma is India’s senior most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years, it said he has been Ambassador in Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China and “The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt.”
The statement said that ever since “Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side.”
It said, “This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts and “This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.”
The External Affairs Ministry said Prime Minister Trudeau’s “hostility” towards India has “long been in evidence”.
Referring to Trudeau’s visit to India in 2018, it said it was “aimed at currying favour with a vote bank” but it “rebounded to his discomfort”.
Trudeau’s Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India, the Ministry statement pointed out.
“His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard,” it said.
“That his Government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-à-vis India, only aggravated matters,” it said.
“Under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, his 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,” the External Affairs Ministry said.
“It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference,” the Indian government said.
“It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains,” the statement added.
“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. Multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organized crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded,” it said.
“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 said. (NVI)
