Hours after Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat and announced an investigation into allegations that India’s government might have been involved in the assassination of a pro-Khalistan leader, India on Monday expelled a Canadian diplomat.
Earlier today, India rejected the accusation by Canada that it was involved in the killing of pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, calling it “absurd and motivated”.
India also summoned Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron MacKay to the headquarters of Ministry of External Affairs to express their condemnation.
“The decision reflects Government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities,” reads the presser from MEA.
The diplomatic crisis has been looming since the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during the G20 Summit this month.
Speaking in the Canadian Parliament, Trudeau said he brought up the killing with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G-20 last week, that he told Modi that any Indian government involvement would be unacceptable and that he asked for cooperation in the investigation.
“Over the past number of weeks Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” he said.
Trudeau further said he knows there are some members of the Indo-Canadian community who feel angry or frightened, and he called for calm.
