From: Auric Hellman <adhellman1@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: India-Canada diplomatic row reignites
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2024 23:29:20 -0400
Organization: Sons of Rhodesia
A long-simmering diplomatic dispute between India and Canada has
reignited, with the two countries announcing the expulsion of diplomats
amid accusations that Indian government agents were involved in
activities that threaten the safety of Canadians.
The latest row began on Monday when Indiaâs Ministry of External Affairs
said it had received âdiplomatic communicationâ from Canada indicating
that Indian diplomats were being considered âpersons of interestâ in
relation to an investigation in the North American country.
Relations between New Delhi and Ottawa hit new lows last year after the
Canadian government said it was investigating a link between Indian
government agents and the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep
Singh Nijjar, on Canadaâs west coast.
New Delhi has denied any involvement in Nijjarâs killing, reiterating on
Monday that it âstronglyâ rejected the âpreposterous imputationsâ from
Canada and would be withdrawing its diplomats and other officials from
the country.
But hours later, the Canadian government said federal police had
uncovered evidence that Indian agents were involved in activities that
threaten public safety in Canada and it said it was expelling six Indian
diplomats.
Hereâs what we know about the deepening diplomatic row, what Canada and
India have said about the matter, and what could happen next:
What has Canada said?
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that the federal
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) uncovered âclear and compelling
evidenceâ that Indian government agents have engaged, and continue to
engage, in activities that threaten public safety.
âThis includes clandestine information-gathering techniques, coercive
behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a
dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder,â Trudeau said
during a news conference.
Earlier in the day, the RCMP said it had found evidence of the
involvement of Indian government agents âin serious criminal activity in
Canadaâ, including links âto homicides and violent actsâ and
interference in democratic processes, among other things.
What has India said?
Indiaâs Ministry of External Affairs vehemently rejected Canadaâs
allegations, saying in a statement on Monday that âon the pretext of an
investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for
political gainsâ.
The ministry also said that the Canadian government âhas not shared a
shred of evidenceâ with the Indian government, âdespite many requests
from our sideâ.
Later, the ministry said it had summoned Canadaâs charge dâaffaires in
India to inform him that âthe baseless targeting of the Indian High
Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely
unacceptableâ.
âWe have no faith in the current Canadian Governmentâs commitment to
ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to
withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and
officials,â it said, adding that New Delhi âreserves the right to take
further stepsâ in response.
Then â in a tit-for-tat move â the ministry announced that it was
expelling six Canadian diplomats from India, including the acting high
commissioner, and was giving them until the end of the day on October 19
to leave India.
âThis evidence was presented directly to Government of India officials,
urging their cooperation in stemming the violence and requesting our law
enforcement agencies work together to address these issues,â the RCMP
said in a statement.
Canadaâs foreign affairs department, Global Affairs Canada, then
announced that six Indian diplomats and consular officials were being
expelled from the country âin relation to a targeted campaign against
Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of Indiaâ.
Indiaâs high commissioner to Canada was among those directed to leave.
In a statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly directly tied
the Indian officials to Nijjarâs case: âThe decision to expel these
individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP
gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six
individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case,â she said.
<continue reading
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/14/india-canada-diplomatic-row-reignites-what-to-know-and-what-comes-next
--
Dr. Auric D. Hellman
adhellman1@gmail.com
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