NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday declared the expulsion of a Canadian diplomat in response to Canada's demand for an Indian official to depart their country. The basis for this action was a "potential" Indian connection to the assassination of a Khalistani separatist leader in June. The Canadian High Commissioner to India was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to be informed of this decision regarding the senior Canadian diplomat.
The MEA emphasised that the expulsion of the Canadian diplomat reflects India's deepening concern about the "interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and their engagement in anti-India activities."
In a formal statement, the MEA specified that the diplomat in question must depart India within the next five days.
Earlier in the day, India vehemently rejected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's assertion of a "potential link" between Indian government agents and the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Following Trudeau's remarks in Parliament, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly declared the expulsion of a "top Indian diplomat" from Canada.
In a statement to Parliament, Trudeau claimed that there were "credible allegations of a potential link" between Indian government agents and Nijjar's assassination in June. Responding firmly, the MEA labeled the allegations of the Government of India's involvement in any acts of violence in Canada as "absurd and motivated."
"Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau told the House of Commons, adding that he raised the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in “no uncertain terms”.
He emphasised that "any foreign government's participation in the murder of a Canadian citizen within Canada's borders constitutes an unacceptable infringement on our sovereignty."
Interestingly, to date, the Canadian government has not disclosed any of the evidence it possesses to support its assertion of Indian government involvement in Nijjar's assassination.
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