India withdrew its envoy to Canada on Monday, along with other officials and diplomats named by Ottawa as “persons of interest” in matters related to domestic investigations, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
New Delhi rejected the “absurd imposition” of Canada’s claims made in a diplomatic communication on Sunday, calling it part of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “political agenda” centered on “vote bank politics.” He said there is.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said it summoned Canada’s chargé d’affaires on Monday and informed him that Canada’s “baseless targeting” of Indian diplomats and officials is “totally unacceptable.”
“We do not have confidence in the current Canadian government’s efforts to ensure Canada’s security, which is why the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials,” the government said in a statement. ” he said.
India also “reserves” the right to take further action in response to the Canadian government’s “support for extremism, violence and separatism against India,” the statement said.
Relations between New Delhi and Ottawa continued after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in September 2023 that Canada was pursuing “credible allegations of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada that year.” Since then, things have cooled down, prompting a strong reaction from the Indian government. New Delhi denied the charges.
India has repeatedly said Canada has not shared any evidence to support its claims.
“This latest step follows an exchange in which unsubstantiated allegations were once again witnessed. This suggests that there is a deliberate strategy to malign India for political gain under the pretext of investigation. There is little doubt.”
“India now reserves the right to take further action in response to the Canadian government’s recent efforts to fabricate allegations against Indian diplomats.”
It also claimed that the Trudeau government has “knowingly provided space for violent extremists and terrorists to harass, intimidate and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada.”
Canada withdrew more than 40 diplomats from India in October 2023 after New Delhi asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence.
In June, a committee of Canadian parliamentarians named India and China as the main foreign threats to Canada’s democratic institutions, based on input from intelligence agencies.
Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s special envoy in Ottawa, said the report was politically motivated and influenced by Sikh separatist activists.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he would like India to “work with us to get to the bottom of this very serious issue.”
Immediately after Canada’s accusations, the US alleged that Indian operatives were involved in a 2023 assassination attempt on another Sikh separatist leader in New York, acting on the orders of anonymous Indian government officials. announced that they had indicted an Indian national.
However, unlike the angry reaction to Canada’s claims, India expressed concern after the US raised the issue, distanced itself from the conspiracy and launched an investigation.
Assassination plots against Sikh separatist leaders in Canada and the US come at a time when Western countries want to deepen ties with New Delhi to counter China’s growing global influence. being tested.
