Diplomatic tensions escalate as Canada withdraws 41 diplomats from India
Canada announced on Thursday the withdrawal of 41 diplomats from India amid a brewing conflict surrounding the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.
New Delhi had planned to revoke diplomatic immunity for all but 21 of Canada’s diplomats and their families by Friday, prompting Ottawa to pull out the remaining diplomats, as confirmed by Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had conveyed last month in New York that India was open to examining any evidence presented by Canada.
He expressed, “We have actually been badgering the Canadians. We’ve given them loads of information about organized crime leadership which operates out of Canada,” referring to Sikh separatists.
He added, “We have a situation where actually our diplomats are threatened, our consulates have been attacked, and often comments are made that are interference in our politics.”
Canada is home to approximately 770,000 Sikhs, constituting around two percent of the country’s population. Within this community, there is a vocal group advocating for the creation of a separate state of Khalistan. Last month, hundreds of Sikh protesters rallied outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, burning flags and trampling on pictures of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Joe Hotha, a member of the Sikh community in Toronto, expressed concerns, saying, “We are not safe back home in Punjab, we are not safe in Canada.”
It’s worth noting that the Sikh separatist movement has largely diminished within India, where security forces employed deadly force to quell the insurgency in the 1980s.
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