Amid the ongoing diplomatic standoff between Bharat and Canada in
light of the latter’s allegation of Indian involvement in the killing of Sikh
separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Toronto-based media publication, CTV
News, claimed in a report that a majority of the Canadian diplomats working in Bharat,
outside the national capital, have been moved to either Kuala Lumpur or
Singapore.
The report comes a day after the Indian side sought reduction of
Canada’s diplomatic staff in Bharat.
In a weekly presser, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official
spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters, “Given the much higher presence of
diplomats or diplomatic presence here… and their continued interference in
our internal matters, we have sought parity in our respective diplomatic
presence. Discussions are ongoing on the modalities of achieving this”.
“Given that Canadian diplomatic presence is higher, we would assume
that there would be a reduction,” he added.
Stating that Bharat’s focus is on achieving ‘parity’ in terms of
its diplomatic presence, the Ministry of External Affairs called for a
reduction in Canadian diplomats in Bharat citing their continued “interference”
in Bharat’s “internal matters”.
Amid the diplomatic sabre-rattiling between the two countries, New
Delhi suspended visa operations to Canada and called for a reduction in
Canadian diplomatic staff in Bharat.
CTV News, in its report, claimed that Ottawa has until October 10
to trim the number of Canadian diplomats serving in Bharat to a level
comparable to that of Indian diplomats serving in Canada.
While earlier reports stated that 41 diplomats would have to
depart, people the CTV News contacted, said the request is particular to one of
parity.
Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged during a
debate in Parliament, claimed the Indian Government was behind the fatal
shooting of Nijjar.
Trudeau, during a debate in the Canadian Parliament, claimed that
his country’s national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents
of the Indian Government” carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who
served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
However, Bharat has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’
and ‘motivated’.
Notably, Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support
the claim about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Softening his tone amid the diplomatic tensions, Trudeau said
Ottawa wants to “work constructively with Bharat”.
Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in Bharat, was gunned down
outside a Gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada’s Surrey, British Columbia on
June 18.
ANI
