India expelled Canada’s top diplomat.
According to Reuters, following the political tension between Ottawa and New Delhi, the Indian government announced that it has given Canada’s senior diplomat 5 days to leave the country. This Canadian diplomat has been accused of “anti-Indian activities”.
A few hours ago, the Canadian government expelled the senior Indian intelligence official from Canada, accusing the Indian government of being involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijar, a Canadian citizen of Indian descent and the leader of the Indian Sikh separatist group.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India announced in a statement that the Canadian government’s accusations against New Delhi regarding the involvement in the murder of the Sikh separatist leader in Canada are ridiculous. The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India states “We reject the statements of the Prime Minister of Canada in the Parliament as well as the statements of the Foreign Minister of this country. Allegations against the Indian government of complicity in any acts of violence in Canada are ludicrous and politically motivated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India also added that “the purpose of these accusations is to divert attention from terrorists and extremists in the Khalistan movement who have taken refuge in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Canadian authorities on Monday claimed to have credible information linking Indian government agents to the killing of an Indian-origin Sikh separatist leader in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Canadian government has also expelled a senior Indian government intelligence official from the country’s embassy in Ottawa.
In this regard, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that any involvement of a foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.
Indian-Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijar was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia on June 18, and after his murder, Canada accused the Indian government of being involved in the assassination.
The Tribune of India reported that Nijar supported the Sikh homeland in the form of an independent state and was declared a terrorist by India in July 2020.
The Prime Minister of Canada also said in a statement to the House of Commons: “Canadian security agencies are actively pursuing credible allegations of a possible link between Indian government agents and Nijar’s death, and Canada has expressed its deep concern to senior intelligence and security officials of the Indian government.” Is.”
Trudeau also said that he informed the Prime Minister of India directly and personally about this incident at the G20 meeting last week.
However, New Delhi said last week that Modi had conveyed to Trudeau his grave concerns about the Sikh separatist protests in Canada against Hendab.
Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside of their home state of Punjab in India, and the country has been the site of many protests against the Indian government. Protests that have angered the Indian government. Approximately 1.4 million of Canada’s population of 40 million are citizens of Indian descent. Also, in the 2021 census, about 770,000 people declared Sikhism as their religion.
India and Canada, which announced earlier this year that they could reach a trade deal by the end of 2023, have now suspended negotiations on the deal. Canada provided few details about the stalled talks, while India pointed to specific political developments about the stalling of the trade talks.