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IBNS: Canada has shifted a large number of its diplomats posted outside New Delhi and moved them to Malaysia or Singapore amid ongoing diplomatic tension between the two nations over the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, media reports said.
The Indian government has given Ottawa until October 10 to reduce Canadian diplomatic staff in that country to a level on par with the number of Indian diplomats in Canada, sources told CTV News.
A majority of the Canadian diplomats working in India outside of Delhi have been evacuated to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, the news channel reported.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said India has asked Canada to reduce diplomatic staff to “bring parity”, reports India Today.
“Given the much higher diplomatic presence in India and their continuing interference in our internal affairs, we had sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence,” Bagchi was quoted as saying by the news channel.
Amid the ongoing diplomatic row, India has asked Canada to recall 41 of its diplomats from the country by October 10, reported the Financial Times on Tuesday.
Also Read: India asks Canada to recall 41 diplomats by Oct 10: Report
New Delhi has informed Canada that if any of these 41 diplomats remain after the specified date, their diplomatic immunity will be rescinded.
India had previously expressed the need for “parity” in both the quantity and rank of diplomats between the two nations.
Currently, Canada maintains a larger contingent of diplomats in Delhi compared to India’s presence in Ottawa.
Canada has 62 diplomats stationed in India, and New Delhi has urged them to reduce this number by 41, according to the London-based financial daily.
Diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Ottawa soured after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that New Delhi could be behind Nijjar’s killing.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on September 18 alleged the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey British Columbia on June 18. India dismissed the allegation, calling it “absurd” and “motivated.”
In 2020, India designated Nijjar as a terrorist.
