India-Canada diplomatic row escalates as Canada withdraws 41 diplomats from India

Ottawa, October 20: Canada's Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly, made a significant announcement on Thursday, local time, confirming the withdrawal of 41 Canadian diplomats and their 42 family members from India. This move comes amid an escalating diplomatic rift between the two nations.

Joly explained the reasoning behind this decision, stating, "As of now, I can confirm that India has formally conveyed its plan to unethically remove diplomatic immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by tomorrow, October 20. This means 41 Canadian diplomats and their 42 dependents were in danger of having immunity stripped on an arbitrary date. And this would put their personal safety at risk."

This development comes as India previously suspended visa operations to Canada and called for a reduction in the number of Canadian diplomats in India, emphasizing the need for diplomatic "parity" in response to ongoing disagreements between the two countries.

Melanie Joly further emphasized the importance of diplomatic immunities, stating, "They are a fundamental principle of diplomacy and this is a two-way street. They only work if every country abides by the rules. A unilateral revocation of diplomatic privilege and immunities is contrary to international law. It is a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and threatening to do so is unreasonable and escalatory. If we allow the norm of diplomatic immunity to be broken, no diplomats anywhere on the planet would be safe."

She also made it clear that Canada would not reciprocate by taking similar action against Indian diplomats.

In addition to Melanie Joly, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller addressed the situation's impact on service delivery in both countries following the withdrawal of diplomats. Joly stated that this decision would lead to a temporary suspension of in-person services at Canadian consulates in Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Bangalore. However, she assured that Canadians in need of consular assistance could still visit the High Commission in Delhi, and help was available through other means like phone and email.

This development followed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's earlier remarks, where he acknowledged the Indian government's October 10 deadline for Canada to substantially reduce its diplomatic presence. Trudeau emphasized that his government had been actively engaged in diplomatic efforts with India, treating the matter with utmost seriousness.

India's Ministry of External Affairs had previously explained that the focus of their request for a reduction in Canadian diplomats was to achieve "parity" in terms of diplomatic presence. This request was made due to concerns of Canadian diplomats' perceived interference in Indian internal matters.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated, "Given the much higher presence of diplomats or diplomatic presence here...and their continued interference in our internal matters, we have sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence. Discussions are ongoing on the modalities of achieving this."

Bagchi also clarified that the reduction in Canadian diplomats might influence the number of visas issued by the Canadian High Commission in India but emphasized that the decision rested with the Canadian side, as India's main goal was to ensure a balanced diplomatic presence.

The tension between Canada and India escalated when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that the Indian government was behind the fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Trudeau claimed that Canadian national security officials had reason to believe that "agents of the Indian government" were responsible for Nijjar's killing. However, India categorically denied these allegations, deeming them "absurd" and "motivated." As of now, Canada has not provided public evidence to substantiate these claims.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been designated a terrorist in India, was fatally shot outside a Gurdwara in a parking area in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. 

- ANI

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