Amid diplomatic tension, Canada's Foreign Minister says Indian diplomats have been 'clearly informed'

By News Update On Oct 19, 2024

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie on Friday warned Indian diplomats living in the country, saying they have been 'clearly informed' not to compromise Canada's security. The statement comes at a time when diplomatic tensions are rising, fueled by unproven allegations of India's involvement in the death of a Canadian Sikh separatist leader, which India has strongly rejected.

The diplomatic standoff escalated earlier this week when Canada expelled India's high commissioner and five other diplomats, accusing them of involvement in a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists in the country. The reaction came after New Delhi rejected Ottawa's allegations linking the ambassador to the investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. At the same time, Canada announced that it has expelled 6 Indian diplomats.

“We have never seen anything like this in our history. That level of international repression cannot occur on Canadian soil. We have seen this elsewhere in Europe as well. Russia has done this in Germany and Britain and we must stand firm on this issue,” PTI quoted Jolie as saying in Montreal.

Asked about the possibility of further expulsions of Indian diplomats, Foreign Minister Mélanie Jolie said, “They have clearly been put on notice. Six of them have been expelled, including the high commissioner to Ottawa. Others were primarily based in Toronto and Vancouver, and we clearly will not tolerate any diplomats who violate the Vienna Convention.”

Jolie's comments come at a time when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has alleged that Indian diplomats were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist and designated terrorist in India who was shot dead in British Columbia last year. Was murdered.