India recalls High Commissioner, other targeted diplomats to Canada

New Delhi: India on Monday said it has no faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure their security.

Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials, said Ministry of External Affairs after rebuking Canadian diplomats.

Earlier today, India sent a strong response when Canadian authorities named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other Indian diplomats as 'persons of interest' in an ongoing investigation related to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader, back in June 2023.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) vehemently rejected these allegations, describing them as "preposterous imputations" and a "deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains." 

Full response from India

“We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country. The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics.

Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.

Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence. In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India. His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard. That his Government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-à-vis India, only aggravated matters. Under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, his Government has deliberately brought in India in an attempt to mitigate the damage. This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction. It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains.

To that end, the Trudeau Government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada. This has included death threats to them and to Indian leaders. All these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech. Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship. Multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organized crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded.

High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s senior most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years. He has been Ambassador in Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China. The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt.

The Government of India has taken cognizance of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India that serve the political agenda of the current regime. This led to the implementation of the principle of reciprocity in regard to diplomatic representation. India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats.”

The MEA's statement was clearly a strong rebuke to Canadian interference in Indian internal affairs. 

This latest episode in the India-Canada diplomatic saga began unfolding after Trudeau's claim in the Canadian Parliament about "credible allegations" of a potential link between agents of the Indian government and Nijjar's assassination. This claim led to the expulsion of diplomats from both countries last year, escalating tensions.

India has countered by accusing Canada of harboring anti-India elements, particularly those advocating for Khalistan, a separate Sikh state, which has been a point of contention for decades. 

The Indian government has long expressed concerns over Sikh separatist activities in Canada, which it views as a threat to its national security.