In a fresh provocation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday said he spoke to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed about the India-Canada diplomatic row “and the importance of upholding and respecting the rule of law”.
Trudeau’s response came amid a snowballing diplomatic crisis between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. Apart from the India-Canada row, Trudeau also raised the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
“On the phone today, His Highness @MohamedBinZayed and I spoke about the current situation in Israel. We expressed our deep concern and discussed the need to protect civilian life. We also spoke about India and the importance of upholding — and respecting — the rule of law,” Trudeau wrote on X.
Earlier on Friday, Trudeau raised the India-Canada row with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak, who said he hoped to see a de-escalation of the issue, according to a Downing Street statement.
Sunak was updated on the situation relating to Canadian diplomats in India. Both leaders agreed to stay in contact as Sunak reaffirmed the UK’s position of respect for the rule of law, the statement said.
On September 18, diplomatic tensions between India and Canada escalated after Trudeau said his government was “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder of Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force. India refuted the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
Nijjar was shot dead by two unidentified assailants outside a gurdwara in Surrey in the Canadian province of British Colombia.
India suspended visa services for Canadian nationals and expelled a Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move after Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official.
Canada has relocated a majority of its diplomats in India to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore after New Delhi had reportedly asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic staff, a report by Canada’s CTV News said.
Last week, India asked Canada to withdraw approximately 40 diplomats by October 10, a London-based newspaper, The Financial Times, reported. It stated that the Indian government had also threatened to strip the diplomatic immunity of Canadian diplomats if they remained in the country after the deadline.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India has asked Canada to reduce diplomatic staff to “bring parity”.
“Given the much higher diplomatic presence in India and their continuing interference in our internal affairs, we sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence,” Bagchi told a weekly media briefing on October 5.
