India-Canada Row: Diplomatic Ties Suffer Amid Fresh Tensions

In a tit-for -tat move, India on Monday expelled six Canadian diplomats, including its acting High Commissioner Steart Ross Wheeler after Canada declared the Indian High Commissioner Sajay Kumar Verma and five other diplomats persona non grata for connections to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June this year.

The Canadian diplomats have been given till 11.59 pm, October 19 to leave the country.

The Globe and Mail reported on Monday that Canada had expelled the Indian High Commissioner and five other diplomats over connection to “violent criminal activity in Canada” and that the national police force was set to reveal new details about the Indian government’s alleged connection to “violent criminal activity” in Canada.

The paper said that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has evidence that the six diplomats were involved in the plot and that the Canadian government had presented the evidence to to India last week. This evidence was to be made public later in the day.

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India has maintained that no evidence had been provided by Canada to back its claim and has stoutly denied the charges.

Earlier on Monday New Delhi claimed that the diplomats were being “withdrawn” after after the Canadian Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi was summoned by the Secretary (East) and told as much following a communication from Canada that Verma and other diplomats have been declared to be “persons of interest.” The term applies to someone who is wanted in a criminal investigation but who has not been formally arrested or questioned.

It was not made clear how many diplomats had been identified by the Canadians as ‘persons of interest’ but diplomats enjoy immunity from prosecution. The Canadian Charge d'Affaires was told that the targeting of the High Commissioner and other diplomats was baseless and “completely unacceptable” and that New Delhi had no “faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure their security.”

New Delhi grimly noted that “The Government of India has taken cognizance of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India that serve the political agenda of the current regime. This led to the implementation of the principle of reciprocity in regard to diplomatic representation. India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats.” This is diplomatic long hand for 'More to follow” and “Watch this space for further developments.”

The question arises how does the situation impact the rest of the Indian diplomats and support staff who will remain after the withdrawal.

In May this year Canada announced that three Indian nationals were arrested and charged. More is probably set to follow on that front as well.

The Canadian move came almost immediately after divergent views appeared on a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Vientiane, Laos, four days ago (Saturday) at the sidelines of the Asian Summit. The Canadian characterisation of meeting was a “very intense interaction” whereas New Delhi pooh poohed it saying nothing of significance had been discussed in the brief interaction. Trudeau had cryptically been quoted by the CBC News as telling reporters, “I won’t go into details about what we talked about but what I’ve said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government and that’s what I’ll stay focused on.” It was clearly a harbinger of things to come.

Significantly, Trudeau is set to address a committee on the question of “foreign interference.” The move also comes as Trudeau, with his back to the wall, is fighting for political survival and there is rich speculation that he is seeking to reap benefit. There is no saying therefore what sort of fillip these developments could give to hardcore Sikh separatists in Canada that New Delhi keeps talking about. On Thursday the Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly testified before the same committee that there continues to be a threat of more murders like Nijjar's that Canada has linked to the Indian government.

Describing to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference (PIFI) ties with India as “tense and very difficult” she said she’s been putting pressure on the Indian government to co-operate with the police investigation into Nijjar’s murder, and implied a lack of it from New Delhi.

Given the impasse, the Canadian move could push ties to breaking point. It is not clear what skeletons Canada will let tumble. The Canadian move comes a month after New York court sent summons to National Security Adviser Ajith Doval, former R&AW chief Samant Goel who got two extensions for his good work abroad, ‘R&AW agent' Vikram Yadav and 'Indian businessman' Nikhil Gupta who was extradited to the US from Czechoslovakia over charges of trying to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Following this development the NSA avoided travelling to the US along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to New York leading to snide speculation that he was taking evasive action. The Canadian move will be seen as a further suggestion that it is moving lockstep with Washington.