India asks Canada to withdraw dozens of diplomats, sets deadline

India has told Canada to withdraw almost 40 diplomats by the 10^th of October amidst the falling diplomatic relations between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in the parliament that the Indian government and agencies were behind the killing of Khalistani leader and terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canada currently has 62 diplomats in India and according to sources India has threatened to strip off the diplomatic immunity of any Indian diplomatic who stays after the 10^th of October. “Declaring more Canadian diplomats personae non gratae wouldn’t help the situation and would make reducing the emotions associated with this disagreement more difficult,” Peter Boehm, chair of the Canadian Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Boehm also said that Canadian PM Trudeau will not back down and also said that India looks at Canada as ‘an easy mark’. He added that New Delhi knows that there is a limit to Canada’s capacity to retaliate because Trudeau has a minority government.

“India knows our capacity to retaliate is limited, that we have a minority government and is aware of the consequent politics at play. And, of course, India has an election on the horizon,” Boehms was quoted by The Financial Times as saying.

Trudeau who is currently the leader of the Liberalistic Party does not have a majority government and is in an alliance with Indian origin and Canadian Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh who heads the New Democratic Party.

Canada has a few dozens of diplomats more than what India has in Ottawa.

It must also be noted that India has on many previous occasions said that it wants an equal number of diplomats posted by Canada in India and by India in Canada. At its high commission in New Delhi, Canada has a few dozens of diplomats more than what India has in Ottawa.

The current situation is the result of the ongoing diplomatic tussle between India and Canada after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged in the parliament that the Indian government and agencies were actively connected with the killing of Khalistani leader and terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar as said by the Canadian security agencies. India had previously expelled a Canadian diplomat in a tit for tat move after Canada removed an Indian diplomat, after which India stopped its visa services for Canadians around the world.  

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