Canada has recalled 41 of its diplomats from India after the Indian government said it would revoke their diplomatic immunity, escalating a spat over the killing of a Sikh separatist Harshdeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

Ottawa: Amid the ongoing diplomatic row with India, Canada removed 41 diplomats from New Delhi on Thursday. Providing details, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stated that diplomats and their 42 family members were recalled, adding that Ottawa would not take retaliatory steps. She said that India had threatened to unilaterally revoke the diplomats’ official status by Friday unless they left, and added that this action was ‘unreasonable, unprecedented, and clearly violated the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations’. “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,” Joly said, as she confirmed the departure of Canadian diplomats.

Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly says “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 October 20. This means… pic.twitter.com/tbqwk9Wv8u

— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2023

India-Canada Diplomatic Row:

This extreme step comes after the Indian Government suspended visa operations to Canada and called for a reduction in Canadian diplomats in India, calling for ‘parity’, owing to the escalating spat over the slaying of a Sikh separatist in Canada.

India-Canada Diplomatic Row: Canadian FM said violation of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

Canadian Foreign Minister stated that, “…we have facilitated their safe departure from India. This means that our diplomats and their families have now left diplomatic immunities. Keep diplomats safe, no matter where they’re from and where they’re sent to. Immunities allow diplomats to do their work without fear of reprisal or arrests from the country they’re in.”

“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 said, adding that Canada “will not reciprocate,” ANI quoted Joly citing CTV news.

India-Canada Diplomatic Row: Impact Services

She added that New Delhi’s decision will impact the services to citizens in both the countries. “There’s no question that India’s decision will impact the levels of services to citizens in both countries. Unfortunately, we have to put a pause on all in-person services in our consulates in Chandigarh, Mumbai and in Bangalore.” “Canadians who need consular assistance can still visit our High Commission in Delhi. And you can still also do that in person by phone and by email,” Joly added.

India-Canada Diplomatic Row: ‘Achieving parity in diplomatic representation’, says MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs, with the aim of achieving ‘parity’ in diplomatic representation, has requested a reduction in the number of Canadian diplomats in India. This request was made in response to what they perceive as ongoing “interference” by the Canadian diplomats in New Delhi’s “internal matters.”

Addressing the press briefing earlier, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “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.

India-Canada Diplomatic Row: How It Started

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently made an allegation that the Indian Government and its intelligence agencies were responsible for the killing of Khalistan supporter Harshdeep Singh Nijjar. During a debate in the Canadian Parliament, Trudeau stated that his country’s national security officials had grounds to suspect that “agents of the Indian government” were involved in the killing of the Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.

However, New Delhi has rejected these claims, terming them ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’. It’s worth noting that Canada has not yet presented any public evidence to substantiate the assertion regarding the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, who was designated as a terrorist in India, was fatally shot in a parking area outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on June 18.