Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly on Friday warned Indian diplomats remaining in the country, saying they are “clearly warned” not to compromise Canadian security. The statement comes as diplomatic tensions continue to rise, fueled by Canada’s unproven allegations of India’s involvement in the death of a Sikh separatist leader, a claim India has firmly rejected.
The diplomatic standoff escalated earlier this week when Canada expelled India’s High Commissioner and five other diplomats, accusing them of engaging in a campaign of violence and intimidation against Sikh separatists in the country. The response came after New Delhi rejected Ottawa’s accusations linking the envoy to the investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Meanwhile, Canada announced that it had expelled 6 Indian diplomats.
“We have never seen that in our history. That level of transnational repression cannot occur on Canadian soil. We have seen it in other parts of Europe. “Russia has done it in Germany and the United Kingdom and we needed to stand firm on this issue,” PTI quoted Joly as saying in Montreal.
Asked about the possibility of further expulsions of Indian diplomats, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said: “It is clear that they are on notice. Six of them have been expelled, including the High Commission in Ottawa. Others were based primarily in Toronto and Vancouver, and we clearly will not tolerate any diplomat who contravenes the Vienna Convention.”
Joly’s comments come as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) alleges that Indian diplomats were involved in the events that led to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist and designated terrorist in India, who was shot dead on last year in British Columbia.
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