The Indian government has announced the expulsion of six senior Canadian diplomats. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement on Monday, confirming that these diplomats have been ordered to leave India by 11:59 PM on Saturday, October 19. The decision follows the government’s recent move to withdraw the Indian High Commissioner and several officials from Canada.
Among the diplomats facing expulsion are Stewart Ross Wheeler, Canada’s Acting High Commissioner, and Patrick Hebert, the Deputy High Commissioner. Other officials asked to leave include Marie Catherine Joly, Ian Ross David Trites, Adam James Chuipka, and Paula Orjuela, all holding the rank of First Secretary in the Canadian High Commission.
The Government of India has decided to expel the following 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… pic.twitter.com/bdaRf1i0H4
— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2024
Earlier, Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials from Canada, said MEA in a statement on Monday.
The statement read, “It was underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government’s actions endangered their safety. We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.”
It was underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government’s actions endangered their safety. We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the… pic.twitter.com/WUOQAV4SIc
— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2024
In his quest for electoral benefits #JustinTrudeau seems to be playing in the hands of separatist groups and terror masterminds who have wrecked a relationship between India and Canada, which had a huge diaspora and democratic connect. Recalling India’s top envoy was an extreme…
— Saurabh Shukla सौरभ शुक्ल (@isaurabhshukla) October 14, 2024
Top Updates
- The external affairs ministry had earlier summoned the Canadian envoy on Monday, a day after it said it received diplomatic communication from Canada which said that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in an investigation in Nijjar case.
- Indian government had issued a sharp rebuttal to Canada, rejecting allegations of linking its envoy in the murder investigation, describing them as “preposterous imputations.”
- The ministry of external affairs (MEA) called the allegations baseless and politically motivated, attributing them to Canadian Prime Minister’s domestic agenda and adding that his “hostility towards India” has long been in evidence.
- MEA’s statement read, “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. Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.”
- “High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s senior most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years. He has been Ambassador in Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China. The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt,” it added.
- India and Canada ties have been in jeopardy ever since Justin Trudeau alleged India’s involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Khalistani terrorist, in June 2023. India has repeatedly refuted these claims as “absurd” and “motivated”.
- The diplomatic stalemate took a sharp turn when Canada allegedly named the Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a ‘person of interest’ in its investigation into Nijjar’s death. India swiftly hit back, accusing Canada of maligning its officials without evidence and using “preposterous” claims to justify its failure to curb Khalistani extremism on its soil.
