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Join on Telegram Rabat – India has delivered a stern message to Canada, demanding the repatriation of 41 diplomats by October 10, as tensions escalate over allegations regarding the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
The controversy has led to growing strains between the two nations, with Canada suspecting the Indian government’s involvement in the high-profile murder case.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was murdered in June, sparking outrage and finger-pointing between the two countries. India had previously labeled Nijjar a “terrorist” due to his vocal advocacy for Khalistan, an independent Sikh state.
However, India has continued to deny any involvement in his murder and dismissed the allegations as “absurd.”
According to an exclusive report by The Financial Times, India has issued a dire warning threatening to revoke the diplomatic immunity of those diplomats who remain in Canada past the October 10 deadline.
Currently, Canada maintains a diplomatic contingent of 62 members in India, while the latter is calling for a significant reduction by recalling 41 diplomats.
The diplomatic spat has left both the Indian and Canadian foreign ministries silent, with no immediate responses to The Financial Times’ report.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar previously spoke about the “climate of violence” and “atmosphere of intimidation” that Indian diplomats have faced in Canada, particularly due to the presence of Sikh separatist groups.
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Canada is home to a sizable Sikh population, with approximately 770,000 Sikhs residing in the country. This is the largest Sikh community outside the northern Indian state of Punjab. Over the years, the Indian government has expressed its dissatisfaction with some members of the Sikh community in Canada who openly support the Khalistan movement.
Canada’s House of Commons currently boasts 15 Sikh members, accounting for more than 4% of the seats, despite Sikhs representing only around 2% of the Canadian population.
The Khalistan movement, which sought a separate Sikh homeland, was responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the 1980s and 1990s but has since lost most of its support in Punjab.
In 2020, India had accused Nijjar of delivering “hateful speeches” and promoting “seditionary and insurrectionary imputations,” officially designating him as someone “involved in terrorism.”
