High Commission of Canada in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Canada said Thursday it had withdrawn 41 diplomats from India – fallout from a bitter row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

New Delhi planned to revoke diplomatic immunity for all but 21 of Canada’s diplomats and their families by Friday, forcing Ottawa to pull out the others, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said.

“We have facilitated their safe departure from India,” Ms. Joly added. “This means that our diplomats and their families have now left.”

Relations between India and Canada have plunged since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month publicly linked Indian intelligence to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which New Delhi has denied.

Nijjar, who advocated for a separate Sikh state carved out of India, was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.

“Revoking the diplomatic immunity of 41 diplomats is not only unprecedented, but also contrary to international law,” Ms. Joly said Wednesday, but said Canada did not plan to retaliate in kind, so as to not “aggravate the situation.”

“Canada will continue to defend international law, which applies to all nations and will continue to engage with India,” she said.

“Now more than ever we need diplomats on the ground and we need to talk to one another,” Ms. Joly added.

Countermeasures

Canada has called for India to cooperate in the investigation but New Delhi has rejected the allegations and taken countermeasures, such as shutting down visa services for Canadians.

Ottawa also expelled an Indian diplomat over the affair.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said last month in New York that his country would be willing to examine any evidence presented by Canada.

“We have actually been badgering the Canadians. We’ve given them loads of information about organized crime leadership which operates out of Canada,” Mr. Jaishankar said, referring to Sikh separatists.

“We have a situation where actually our diplomats are threatened, our consulates have been attacked and often comments are made (that are) interference in our politics,” he said.

The Indian government has called the Canadian accusations over the killing “absurd” and advised its nationals not to travel to certain Canadian regions “given the increase in anti-Indian activities.”

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New Delhi also temporarily stopped processing visa applications in Canada.

Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a Canadian citizen in 2015, was shot dead by two masked assailants in the parking lot of a Sikh temple near Vancouver in June.

Canada is home to some 770,000 Sikhs, who make up about two percent of the country’s population, with a vocal group calling for creating a separate state of Khalistan.

The Sikh separatist movement is largely finished within India, where security forces used deadly force to put down an insurgency in the state of Punjab in the 1980s.

Hundreds of Sikh protesters rallied outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada last month, burning flags and trampling on pictures of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi have created a delicate situation for close Canadian ally Washington, which has in recent months taken steps to move closer to India as the United States seeks to limit Chinese influence in the region.

The Indian flag is seen flying at the High Commission of India in Ottawa
| Photo Credit: AP

Normal functioning of Indian missions in Canada has been affected because of “security threats” faced by Indian diplomats and they are therefore “temporarily unable” to issue visas, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced here on Thursday.

The suspension of visa facility in Indian missions in Canada will also be enforced for third-country applicants who may choose to apply for visas through Indian missions in Canada.

Speaking at the weekly press briefing, Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi further declared that India would prefer “parity” in posting of diplomats in each other’s missions saying the number of Canadian diplomats in India is expected to be reduced.

He further informed Delhi hasn’t received any evidence from the Justin Trudeau government regarding alleged Indian hand in the killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in Surrey. He urged Canada to uphold the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by ensuring safety and security of Indian diplomats in Canada. 

“You are aware of the security threats being faced by our High Commission and consulates in Canada. These have disrupted their normal functioning. Accordingly, our High Commission and consulates are temporarily unable to process visa applications. We will be reviewing the situation on a regular basis,” said Mr. Bagchi announcing suspension of Indian visas in Canada.

Since last Monday when Prime Minister Trudeau accused Indian operatives of carrying out the murder of Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, threat perception has heightened for Indian diplomats in Canada and for Ottawa’s diplomats in India. On both sides vitriolic online comments targeted serving diplomats. However, on the Canadian side, Sikhs for Justice has carried out an online campaign calling for “Indo Hindus go to India” and took out targeted poster campaigns against Indian diplomats stationed in Canada.

Mr. Bagchi took note of the threats against Indian diplomats and reminded Ottawa to ensure security for Indian officials under the Vienna Convention. India had earlier cited “politically condoned” violence in Canada against Indian citizens while issuing a travel advisory on Wednesday. Mr. Bagchi called for political will to deal with terrorism and said, “The larger issue is of terrorism supported and funded by our western neighbour Pakistan. But the issue of safe havens and places to operate has been provided abroad including by Canada.”

Earlier, the High Commission of Canada informed The Hindu that in view of prevailing tension, Canada too had “adjusted” its staff count in the diplomatic missions in India saying, “In light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats. With some diplomats having received threats on various social media platforms, Global Affairs Canada is assessing its staff complement in India. As a result, and out of abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily adjust staff presence in India.”

The Canadian mission also reminded India to uphold the diplomatic code of conduct as enshrined in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961. The Canadian side did not confirm if the staff reduction was because of a conversation with India but Mr. Bagchi during his briefing indicated that a conversation on reduction of diplomats in the Canadian missions in India is ongoing.

“We have informed the Canadian government that there should be parity in strength and rank equivalence in our mutual diplomatic presence. Their numbers here are very much higher than ours in Canada. The details are being worked out. But I assume there will be a reduction from the Canadian side,” said Mr. Bagchi.

The controversy that was triggered with the allegations from Prime Minister Trudeau and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has escalated and has now encircled the consular affairs on both sides which was visible on the visa front during Thursday when a private agency that issues Indian visas for Canada put up a public notice which was temporarily pulled down only to be flashed again. A source at the BLS International, the private entity that processes Indian visas for Canada, said the notice was put up after authorisation from the Government of India.

The consular hurdle is expected to broaden and affect normal exchanges between the two sides which has prompted former Indian High Commissioner to Canada Vishnu Prakash to point out the political clout of the Khalistan supporters in Canadian polity. “The Khalistani issue continues to bedevil the relationship, with certain political parties especially the Liberals prioritising their engagement with them over ties with India, as they control a few parliamentary constituencies and allegedly extend material and financial support to the latter parties,” said Mr. Prakash.