Canada begins withdrawing diplomats from India after informed to scale back numbers by 41

Amid the continuing diplomatic standoff between India and Canada in gentle of the latter’s allegation of Indian involvement within the killing of Sikh separatist chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Toronto-based media publication, CTV News, claimed in a report {that a} majority of the Canadian diplomats working in India, exterior the nationwide capital, have been moved to both Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

The report comes a day after the Indian facet sought discount of Canada’s diplomatic employees in India.

In a weekly presser on Thursday, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Arindam Bagchi informed reporters, “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”.

“Given that Canadian diplomatic presence is higher, we would assume that there would be a reduction,” he added.

Stating that India’s focus is on attaining ‘parity’ when it comes to its diplomatic presence, the Ministry of External Affairs referred to as for a discount in Canadian diplomats in India citing their continued “interference” in India’s “internal matters”.

Amid the diplomatic sabre-rattiling between the 2 international locations, New Delhi suspended visa operations to Canada and referred to as for a discount in Canadian diplomatic employees in India.

CTV News, in its report, claimed that Ottawa has till October 10 to trim the variety of Canadian diplomats serving in India to a stage corresponding to that of Indian diplomats serving in Canada.

While earlier experiences said that 41 diplomats must depart, individuals the CTV News contacted, stated the request is explicit to one in all parity.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged throughout a debate in Parliament, claimed the Indian authorities was behind the deadly capturing of Nijjar.

Trudeau, throughout a debate within the Canadian Parliament, claimed that his nation’s nationwide safety officers had causes to consider that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who additionally served because the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.

However, India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.

Notably, Canada has but to supply any public proof to help the declare in regards to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Softening his tone amid the diplomatic tensions, Trudeau stated Ottawa needs to “work constructively with India”.

Nijjar, who was a delegated terrorist in India, was gunned down exterior a Gurdwara, in a parking space in Canada’s Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.

(This information report is revealed from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content material has not been written or edited by OpIndia employees)