Canada said on Thursday (October 19) that it had been forced to repatriate 41 diplomats stationed in India after New Delhi threatened to lift their diplomatic immunity amid a crisis between the two countries. In fact, Indo-Canadian relations deteriorated in September when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the Indian government’s possible involvement in the killing of a Sikh leader near Vancouver in June. The allegations were immediately described as “absurd” by the Indian government, which recently called for Canadian diplomats to leave the country.
Also Read: Article reserved for our subscribers Canada accuses India of being responsible for the murder of one of its Sikh nationals
“We have decided to organize the departure of 41 diplomats and their families” whose diplomatic immunity had been lifted by India, said Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly. The minister spoke of an “unprecedented situation” and a “breach of international law” but made it clear that Canada had no intention of lifting the immunity of Indian diplomats in response so as not to “make the situation worse.”
“If we accept this approach, no diplomat, no diplomat on the planet will be safe. For this reason, Canada will not take the same approach as India,” she added. She clarified during a press conference that 21 Canadian diplomats remain on duty on Indian soil.
“Canada will continue to defend international law applicable to all nations and continue its dialogue with India. “Now more than ever we need diplomats on the ground and we need to talk to each other,” she added. In India, consulate services in Chandigarh, Bombay and Bangalore have been suspended, said Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
Largest Sikh community outside India
However, relations between the two countries are numerous and there is heavy Indian immigration to Canada. But the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in western Canada changed their relationship. The latter was shot dead in June by two masked men in the parking lot of the Sikh temple he led near Vancouver, British Columbia. He died on site from his injuries.
As an activist for the creation of “Khalistan,” an independent Sikh state in northern India, he came to Canada in 1997 and was naturalized in 2015. He was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged acts of terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder. He denied allegations, according to the World Sikh Organization of Canada, a group that defends the interests of Canadian Sikhs.
India has since asked its citizens to avoid traveling to certain regions of Canada “given the rise in anti-India activities and politically motivated hate and crime in Canada.” And the country has suspended visa processing in Canada.
Read also the decoding: Article reserved for our subscribers Canada is sinking into the diplomatic crisis with India and risks isolating itself on the international stage
New Delhi has often complained about the activities of the Sikh diaspora abroad, particularly in Canada, which it says could revive the separatist movement thanks to massive financial aid. Canada is the country with the largest number of Sikhs outside India. The Indian state of Punjab, which is about 58% Sikh and 39% Hindu, was rocked by a violent Sikh separatist movement in the 1980s and early 1990s that left thousands dead.
The world application
The morning of the world
Every morning, discover our selection of 20 items not to be missed
Download the app
These diplomatic tensions are also being closely followed elsewhere in the world, particularly in Washington. But the issue is sensitive for the United States, a neighboring country and historic ally of Canada but which, under the leadership of President Joe Biden, has committed to forcibly moving closer to the Indian government of Narendra Modi.