India withdraws high commissioner to Canada as diplomatic row escalates
The India-Canada relations plunged to a new low on Monday. The Ministry of External Affairs withdrew the Indian High Commissioner and several diplomats from Canada and accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of supporting extremism, violence and separatism against India.
The Indian reaction was triggered by a diplomatic communication from Canada on Sunday. The communication suggested that Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats are “persons of interest” in a matter related to an investigation in Canada. Sources said this pertains to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year and the “persons of interest” means they could be questioned.
On Monday evening, the Canadian Charge d’Affaires was summoned by Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar in the Ministry of External Affairs and a strongly-worded statement followed. It said: “We have no faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure security (for the diplomats). Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.”
With an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau government's actions endangered their safety, the MEA said, adding that it was conveyed that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau Government’s baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats.
On Monday afternoon, the MEA said the aspersions cast by Canada are “ludicrous” and deserve to be treated with contempt, ascribing Canada's actions as part of Trudeau's “vote-bank politics”.
India strongly rejected the Canadian communication saying, “These are preposterous imputations and (part of) the political agenda of the Trudeau Government.”
High Commissioner Sanjay Verma is India’s senior-most serving diplomat with a career spanning 36 years. He has been Ambassador to Japan and Sudan, and also served in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China.
"The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt," the MEA said. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains, it added. Referring to the ongoing investigation in Canada, the MEA said since Prime Minister Trudeau made allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with India.
The MEA 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.”
Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been evident, said the MEA, adding that in 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India.
The MEA said Trudeau's Government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-à-vis India. 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, it added.
'Canada has provided irrefutable evidence'
After India took an aggressive stance on its relationship with Canada by deciding to recall its diplomats, Canadian Charge d'Affaires to India Stewart Wheeler claimed that Canada had provided proof of ties between the Indian government agents and the murder of a Canadian citizen.
Wheeler told reporters outside South Block, "Canada has provided credible, irrefutable evidence of ties between agents of the Government of India and the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.”
He said, “It is now time for India to live up to what it said it would do and look into all those allegations. It is in the interest of both our countries and the people of our countries to get to the bottom of this. Canada stands ready to cooperate with India,” he added.
