India to withdraw High Commissioner, other diplomats from Canada, says 'We have no faith...'

Tensions between India and Canada deepened further as Canada announced an investigation into the Indian High Commissioner, terming him as a "person of interest" in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In a major development, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials from Canada, said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on Monday. This came in response to Canada's attempt to link them to a probe into the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. " It was underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau government's actions endangered their safety...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," stated the MEA. 

The government 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".

India summoned Canadian Deputy High Commissioner

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler after slamming the Trudeau government for "preposterous" allegations on Indian envoy Sanjay Kumar Verma during an investigation in Canada. India said it received a diplomatic communication suggesting that Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and other diplomats are "persons of interest" in an investigation related to Nijjar's death. "The Canadian Charge d'Affaires was summoned by Secretary (East) this evening. He was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable," the MEA said.

In a hard-hitting statement, India said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's hostility towards India has long been in evidence and his government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists "to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada". "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. 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.

India-Canada relation

It should be mentioned here that the ties between India and Canada soured after Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that he has "credible allegations" of India's hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has denied all the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated" and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country. Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year.

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