India asks Canada to remove 41 diplomats: Financial Times

• New Delhi has issued a demand to Ottawa.
• India asks Canada to remove 41 diplomats.
• The deteriorating ties between these two close US allies.

New Delhi has issued a demand to Ottawa, urging them to repatriate 41 diplomats by October 10 in the midst of worsening diplomatic relations between India and Canada as reported by the Financial Times on Tuesday.

The deteriorating ties between these two close US allies have been primarily fueled by Canadian suspicions regarding the involvement of Indian government agents in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader and Canadian citizen, on Canadian soil.

India had previously labeled Nijjar as a “terrorist.” India has vehemently dismissed these allegations as baseless.

According to sources cited by the Financial Times, New Delhi has issued a stern warning, stating that diplomatic immunity will be revoked for the diplomats in question if they remain in Canada beyond October 10.

As per the newspaper’s report, Canada currently maintains 62 diplomats in India, and India has requested a reduction of 41 diplomats from this total.

Both the Indian and Canadian foreign ministries have not yet responded to requests for comments regarding this development.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar previously highlighted concerns over a “climate of violence” and an “atmosphere of intimidation” against Indian diplomats in Canada, partly due to the presence of Sikh separatist groups that have irked New Delhi.

In response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s assertion that the Indian government of Narendra Modi may have been involved in Nijjar’s murder, the Sikh community has organized protests, calling for the expulsion of Indian diplomats from London and Ottawa.

A significant number of Sikhs gathered at the Indian High Commission in London to express their support for Canada and protest against India’s alleged interference in other countries regarding pro-Khalistan activism on Monday.

Chanting slogans to shut down Indian missions and expel High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami, the protesters pledged to continue their activism advocating for the right to self-determination for Sikhs through the global Khalistan Referendum campaign.

The Sikh demonstrators carried posters of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, their leader. Paramjeet Singh Pamma, UK-EU Coordinator of Khalistan Referendum, referred to the blocking of Doraiswami’s entry into Glasgow Gurdwara Sahib, stating, “It’s the collective decision of the Sikh Sangat that Indian agents should not be allowed to visit the Gurdwara Sahibs because they do not come to pray or pay respect but they come to spy on the Sikhs and spread the lies manufactured by the Hindutva Modi government.”

He further asserted, “Now there is no doubt that Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was assassinated by the Indian agents working under the supervision of the Indian High Commission in Canada solely for leading the Khalistan Referendum campaign in Canada.”

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