New Delhi: India has told Canada to withdraw around 40 diplomats by October 10 amid the snowballing diplomatic row between the two countries over Ottawa’s allegations of New Delhi’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil, a report by The Financial Times said.
A person with direct knowledge of the matter told the newspaper that India has threatened to strip off the diplomatic immunity of any Canadian diplomat if they remained in the country after October 10.
Canada has 62 diplomats in India, while New Delhi has told them to reduce the headcount to 41 at their high commission, according to The Financial Times.
India has made it clear that it is open to examining any information that Canada might share regarding its accusations of India’s role in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India does not close its doors to any inquiry, but it needs some evidence to start one.
This statement came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed last week that India was behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a charge that India has strongly denied as ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’. Jaishankar, who met with US Secretary of State Anonty Blinken and NSA Jake Sullivan in Washington DC on Friday, said that the Canadian allegations were not raised during the meeting.
He said, “My understanding is that the word used by the Canadians is allegation…I have already answered it…We’ve always said that look if there is information let us know. I want to make one thing very clear. It’s not that our doors are shut to looking at something”. He added, “If there is a requirement for us to look at something, we are open to looking at it. But, I then expect somewhere, some pointer, something for me to look at it.”