Toronto - Amid a growing dispute over the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil, forty-one Canadian diplomats have recently departed from India. Two weeks ago, India demanded that Canada withdraw a significant number of its diplomatic staff, threatening to revoke their diplomatic immunity if they refused.
Canadian authorities regarded this threat as a breach of international law. The tension between the two nations escalated after Canada accused India of involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18.
India vehemently denied these allegations, deeming them baseless. Melanie Joly, Canada's Foreign Minister, confirmed on Thursday that a considerable number of Canadian diplomats and their families had left India in response to India's decision to unilaterally remove immunity for all diplomats except 21 by October 20.
The BBC has reached out to the High Commission of India in Canada for their response. Ms. Joly stated that the remaining 21 diplomats are still in India, but the reduction in staff will necessitate a reduction in services, particularly in-person operations in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Chandigarh, which have been put on hold indefinitely.
Services will continue to be offered at the High Commission of Canada in Delhi, and third-party-run application centers will also remain open. However, the downsizing of staff is expected to cause significant delays in the processing of immigration applications, at least in the short term, as noted by Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller. This will primarily impact Indian citizens, including international students seeking to study in Canada.
In 2022, Indian nationals constituted the largest proportion of applicants for temporary and permanent residency in Canada. India has contended that Canada had a significantly higher number of diplomats in Delhi compared to India's representation in Ottawa, demanding parity since the diplomatic dispute began.
Ms. Joly emphasized that India's threat to revoke diplomatic immunity for Canadian diplomats constitutes a violation of international law, and Canada will not reciprocate. She stressed that allowing diplomatic immunity to be violated would put diplomats worldwide at risk.
Canadian officials underlined that they still welcome Indian nationals interested in visiting or moving to Canada.
Canada-India relations have reached an unprecedented low, following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement in September, in which he claimed credible evidence of a potential link between India and Nijjar's assassination. This assertion was based on Canadian intelligence, which pointed to the involvement of "agents of the government of India" in the killing, something Canada regarded as a breach of its sovereignty.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down by two masked assailants outside the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia, and Canadian authorities labeled it a "targeted attack." The investigation into the murder is ongoing. Nijjar was an outspoken advocate for the establishment of Khalistan, a separate Sikh state in India, a movement vehemently opposed by India, which designated him a terrorist in 2020.
Despite the public accusation, Mr. Trudeau has consistently expressed his desire not to escalate the dispute with India. He has called on Indian authorities to cooperate with the investigation into Nijjar's assassination.
News Courtesy BBC