According to sources, there are reports that the Indian government has requested Canada to recall 40 of its diplomats from India by October 10. This request comes at a time when diplomatic relations between the two countries have become strained.
Currently, Canada has 62 diplomats stationed in India, and as per the newspaper report, India has asked for a reduction of 41 personnel. However, there has been no comment from the government on this matter so far.
The tension between New Delhi and Ottawa escalated when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that the Indian government might have been involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, who is considered a terrorist in India, was fatally shot outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18.
During a debate in Canada, Trudeau claimed that Canadian national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents of the Indian government” were responsible for Nijjar’s killing. In response to these allegations, India strongly rejected them as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Since then, the Indian government has insisted that Canada has not presented any evidence to support their claims regarding Nijjar’s killing.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted that there have been tensions between India and Canada for a while. These tensions stem from concerns within the government about how the Canadian government handles terrorism, extremism and violence within its borders. Jaishankar emphasized that it would be inaccurate to label this situation as a deadlock.” He also mentioned that India is open to reviewing any pertinent information that Canada may offer regarding this matter.