 "'They are on notice': Canada issues stern warning against remaining Indian officials amid diplomatic row")
Amid the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly issued warnings to the remaining Indian diplomats in the country. Joly made it clear that the remaining diplomats are “clearly on notice” not to endanger Canadian lives. The warning came after India’s high commissioner was expelled on Monday along with five other diplomats over the assassination of pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Joly even went on to compare India to Russia, saying Canada’s national police force has linked Indian diplomats to homicides, death threats and intimidation in the country. On Friday, Joly made it clear that Canada will not tolerate foreign diplomats putting the lives of citizens at risk.
“We’ve never seen that in our history. That level of transnational repression cannot happen on Canadian soil. We’ve seen it elsewhere in Europe. Russia has done that in Germany and the UK and we needed to stand firm on this issue,” Joly said in Montreal. Asked if any other Indian diplomats would be expelled, the Canadian foreign minister made it clear that all diplomats are “on notice”.
“They are clearly on notice. Six of them have been expelled including the high commissioner in Ottawa. Others were mainly from Toronto and Vancouver and clearly, we won’t tolerate any diplomats that are in contravention of the Vienna convention," she added.
The diplomatic row between India and Canada
Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police went public with allegations that Indian diplomats are targeting pro-Khalistani activists in Canada by sharing information about them to their government back home. The Trudeau administration claimed that this information is later being passed along to Indian crime groups who eventually target these activists with drive-by shootings, extortions and even murder.
India rejected the allegations calling them absurd. Not only this, the Indian foreign ministry also announced that it was expelling Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats in response. Amid the chaos between India and Canada, the US on Thursday charged Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav over his alleged involvement in the assassination plot against another separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe Nijjar assassination has been at the centre of the diplomatic brawl between India and Canada which has been escalating for more than a year. New Delhi has repeatedly condemned the Canadian government for being soft on supporters of the Sikh separatist Khalistan movement, which is banned in India. The 45-year-old pro-Khalistani terrorist was shot last year in his pickup truck in British Columbia. An Indian-born citizen of Canada, Nijjar was one of the prominent faces of the Khalistani group called Sikhs For Justice.
With inputs from agencies.
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