India, Canada foreign ministers held secret talks to solve crisis: report

Canada and India are reportedly engaged in secret talks regarding the fate of several Canadian diplomats in New Delhi, even as the Indian government’s deadline for Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic representation lapsed on Tuesday. Ottawa was trying to resolve the situation with India, which had warned that diplomats who stayed beyond the deadline would lose diplomatic immunity, FT has quoted several people familiar with the situation as saying. One Canadian official told the Financial Times that Ottawa had not withdrawn any diplomats ahead of the deadline. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s Foreign Minister, Mélanie Joly, announced last week that Ottawa was making efforts to address the standoff through private channels. Joly emphasized that the tensions between the two countries underscored the significance of maintaining a robust diplomatic presence in India. India had reportedly asked Canada to withdraw 41 of its diplomats from the country by October 10 amid escalating tensions over the killing of Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Joly reportedly conducted a confidential meeting days ago with India’s Foreign Minister, S Jaishankar, in Washington, FT quoted individuals familiar with the situation as saying. However, Canada’s foreign ministry declined to provide any comments on this matter. Diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Ottawa hit the lowest point after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that New Delhi could be behind Nijjar’s killing. Nijjar, branded as a terrorist in India, was shot dead in a parking lot outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on June 18. During a debate in the Canadian Parliament, Trudeau said 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”. However, India rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.