Toronto:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canada was going through an “extremely challenging time” with India, but asserted that Ottawa will continue to maintain “constructive relations” with New Delhi amid the two countries’ diplomatic row over the killing of a Khalistani separatist. .
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Mr. Trudeau also said it is important for Canada to have diplomats on the ground in India, amid a report by the London-based Financial Times that New Delhi has ordered as many as 41 of the 62 remaining Canadian diplomats want to leave the country. This was reported by the Toronto Sun newspaper.
“It is clear that we are going through an extremely challenging time with India right now,” Mr. Trudeau told the Canadian newspaper.
However, he did not confirm the FT report that India has asked Canada to withdraw 41 of the 62 diplomats from the country.
Asked whether his government would retaliate by asking India to remove Canada-based diplomats, Trudeau emphasized that his government would seek to continue working with New Delhi.
“We have no intention of escalating, as I said. We are going to do the work that matters to continue to have constructive relations with India during this extremely difficult time,” Trudeau said. -CBC news run.
Tensions between India and Canada flared last month following Mr. Trudeau’s allegations of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the June 18 killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. India angrily dismissed the allegations as ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.
Nijjar was shot dead by two masked gunmen. India had classified Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
Last month, India asked Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff in the country, arguing that there should be equality in strength and parity in the mutual diplomatic presence. The size of Canada’s diplomatic staff in India is larger than what New Delhi has in Canada.
India has also asked Canada to take tough action against terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its territory and has suspended visa services for Canadians.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told reporters in Washington last week that the governments of India and Canada will have to talk to each other to see how they resolve their differences on the issue, and underlined that the broader issue of “indulgence” must be addressed marked and addressed. .
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)