[Narendra Modi and Justin Trudeau meeting on the sidelines of G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 10, 2023.]
New Delhi: Hours after Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat, India asked a senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country within five days.
India and Canada expelled each other’s top diplomats after the already tensed relation between the two countries worsened Monday after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “linked” India with the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.
India rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd and motivated”.
India had designated Nijjar – a Khalistani separatist leader, a terrorist. Nijjar was shot dead by unidentified men in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.
Hours after Justin Trudeau’s allegations, Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat. Canada did not reveal the identity of the Indian diplomat but Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said the person was the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's intelligence agency, in her country.
India, in an action seen as a tit-for-tat response, expelled a senior Canadian diplomat, asking him to leave the country within five days.
Earlier, India had summoned Canadian High Commissioner Cameron MacKay this morning after the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked India with Nijjar’s murder.
India rejected the Canadian PM's allegations, saying their political figures openly expressing sympathy for "such elements" remains a matter of deep concern.
"Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern," said a foreign ministry statement.
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