In the continuing diplomatic showdown between India and Canada, the Centre on Monday decided to expel 6 Canadian diplomats
- Stewart Ross Wheeler, Acting High Commissioner
- Patrick Hebert, Deputy High Commissioner
- Marie Catherine Joly, First Secretary
- lan Ross David Trites, First Secretary
- Adam James Chuipka, First Secretary
- Paula Orjuela, First Secretary
They have been asked to leave India by or before 11.59pm on October 19.
India withdraws High Commissioner
The announcement came shortly after the Centre decided to withdraw the High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, and other “targeted diplomats and officials”.
Earlier, the ministry of external affairs had summoned Canada’s charge d’ affairs Stewart Wheeler over PM Justin Trudeau’s serious allegations against New Delhi.
“The Canadian Charge d’Affaires was summoned by Secretary (East) this evening. He was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable,” the MEA said in a statement.
Coming out of the MEA office, Wheeler gave a short statement to reporters: “Canada has provided credible, irrefutable evidence of ties between agents of the Government of India and the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil. Now, it is time for India to live up to what it said it would do and look into all those allegations. It is in the interest of both our countries and the people of our countries to get to the bottom of this. Canada stands ready to cooperate with India.”
The foreign ministry’s action followed the Centre’s condemnation of Canada’s decision to investigate the Indian ambassador and other diplomats as “persons of interest” likely in connection with the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist.
India strongly rejected Trudeau’s allegations against its diplomats, calling them “baseless” and politically motivated. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) accused Trudeau of using anti-India rhetoric for domestic political gains, citing his past association with separatist elements.
“The government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau government that is centred around vote bank politics,” the MEA said in a statement.