During the rising tension between the diplomats of both nations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said there has been a marked rise in threats made to Indian diplomats posted in Canada’s capital, Ottawa.
Speaking at a media briefing in New Delhi on Wednesday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal pointed out that New Delhi sought tighter security in Canada for Indian diplomats, especially during the consular camps, but this was never provided.
Jaiswal told the committee that he witnessed increasing trends of incidences of aggression, threats, and even harassment against Indian diplomats in Canada in the last year. “This has been followed by a series of incidents covering attacks, threats, and harassment of Indian diplomats. This is unallowable and very troubling,” Jaiswal said. He also said that even Indian diplomats have been reportedly surveilled, despite the fact that the MEA does not regard this as non-intrusive or acceptable.
The MEA has strongly condemned the attack on a temple recently witnessed in Brampton, and the spokesperson made the remarks following that. Jaiswal also pointed out that New Delhi has appealed to the Canadian government, headed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to respect the principles of the rule of law and to punish the culprits for such violence.
Besides demanding security from the Canadian Government for its nationals in Canada, India had last week officially protested to the Canadian Government for ‘harassment and intimidation’ of Indian consular staff. The MEA claimed that the Canadian authorities conducted audio and video surveillance of the Indian diplomats, a situation which Jaiswal described as a violation of diplomatic and consular conventions.
He also stated that communication of Indian consular staff in Ottawa has been “intercepted”, raising questions about its officials’ privacy and security. The continuing diplomatic tension has further stressed the Indo-Canadian relation, where the MEA once again emphasized that such moves are intolerable and violate the principles of diplomacy.
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