Canada abides by Indian ultimatum, recalls 41 diplomats

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, October 20: Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced that Canada has recalled 41 diplomats from New Delhi. She said that the Canadian diplomatic strength in India is now down to 21. Joly also said that Canada will not ask Indian diplomats to leave.

Stating that India’s decision to withdraw the diplomatic immunity would have put the diplomats at risk, Joly said: “As many as 41 diplomats along with their 42 dependents have left New Delhi. They were in danger of having their immunity stripped on an arbitrary date.” The Canadian minister stated that the diplomats and their dependents would have been at personal safety risk.

Canada’s official confirmation of 41 diplomats leaving India has come after External Affairs Ministry had reportedly set October 12 deadline for them to be recalled else their diplomatic community would have been withdrawn. The MEA had charged Canada of interfering in India’s internal affairs. The MEA had also stated that Canada was maintaining a large diplomatic base in New Delhi, disproportionate to the requirement.

However, Joly, while ruing that the Indian action was against the Geneva convention, stated that there will be no tit-for-tat action against India’s diplomats in Ottawa. Yet, Canada was the first to expel a senior ranking Indian diplomat after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made the sensational claim in parliament that there were “credible allegations against the involvement of Government of India in the killing of the citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar”.

After Trudeau’s allegations in parliament, Canada’s relations with India nosedived, which reportedly brought in the US officials to mediate to repair the damages. India has officially accused Canada of providing safe sanctuaries to terrorists and extremists. India had shared a dossier to Canada against Nijjar for his alleged involvement in terror activities, including a case of an alleged bombing in Punjab. India had also come out with a reward on the head of Nijjar, while Interpol had also issued a notice against him in 2018.

While Joly has referred to Geneva convention, the norm is said to apply when both the parties abide by the principles of engagement. “Canadian FM errs on two counts — There is no Geneva Convention on diplomatic relations. It is the Vienna Convention while unilateral revocation of diplomaic privileges and immunity is not contrary to international law-viz PNG & expulsion,” posed former diplomat Rajiv Dogra on X, formerly Twitter.