New Delhi: Though the US and the UK had issued statements supporting Canada on the issue of the expulsion of 41 Canadian diplomats from India, the Ministry of External Affairs did not issue any official statement to rebut Washington and London.
Instead, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chose a public platform to make India’s stand on the matter clear and also to send a subtle message to Canada to be careful what it says about India. He also justified New Delhi’s decision to bring about parity in the number of diplomats posted in each other’s country.
India and Canada have been involved in a huge diplomatic row for over a month now following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive allegation on the floor of parliament that India had a hand in the killing of one of its citizens, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a wanted Khalistani separatist, earlier this year.
Along with Trudeau’s allegation, Canadian Foreign Minister Joly announced the expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat posted in Canada and, in violation of diplomatic protocols, also revealed the name of the diplomat. In a tit-for-tat move, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron Mackay and ordered the expulsion of a senior Canadian diplomat posted in New Delhi. New Delhi had dismissed Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd and motivated”.
“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the External Affairs Ministry had said. Since Trudeau made his allegation, India has also suspended visa services for all Canadian citizens citing the safety of its diplomats in the Indian missions in Canada. This apart, India also ordered the expulsion of 41 more Canadian diplomats from India saying that there should be parity in the number of diplomats in both the countries.
Following the revocation of diplomatic immunity to the 41 diplomats, Joly said: “Revoking the diplomatic immunity of 41 diplomats is not only unprecedented but also contrary to international law.” She said this after Canada withdrew 41 of its diplomats and their 42 family members from India earlier this month.
Following this, the US issued a statement saying that it is “concerned by the departure of Canadian diplomats from India”. “Resolving differences requires diplomats on the ground,” a statement issued by the US State Department read. “We have urged the Indian government not to insist upon a reduction in Canada’s diplomatic presence and to cooperate in the ongoing Canadian investigation. We expect India to uphold its obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including with respect to privileges and immunities enjoyed by accredited members of Canada’s diplomatic mission.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK also issued a statement saying that “resolving differences requires communication and diplomats in respective capitals”. “We do not agree with the decisions taken by the Indian government that have resulted in a number of Canadian diplomats departing India,” the statement read. “We expect all states to uphold their obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
Both the US and UK are allies of Canada under the Five Eyes intelligence gathering group that also includes Australia and New Zealand. On Sunday, while speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi, Jaishankar said that India resorted to diplomatic parity due to concerns over “continuous interference” in its “internal affairs” by Canadian diplomats.
“Parity is very much provided for by the Vienna Convention, which is the relevant international rule on this,” he said. “But in our case, we invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel. We haven’t made much of that public. My sense is, over a period of time, more stuff will come out and people will understand why we had the kind of discomfort with many of them, which we did.”
According to Robinder Sachdev, president of the New Delhi-based independent think tank ImagIndia and who closely follows India-Canada relations, what Jaishankar has done is send a subtle message to Canada to be careful about the words it uses about India.
“Jaishankar’s message is a subtle message to Canada that we may be unearthing more information about your diplomats in India which will expose you even more,” Sachdev said. “He is essentially saying that Canada should be careful about what it says about India in the weeks and months to come.”
Sachdev explained that support for Khalistani separatists in Canada is not just a Trudeau-centric issue. “Sympathy for the Khalistani cause is very systemic and structured in Canadian politics,” he said. “So even if Trudeau loses the elections and a new government comes to power, India will have to continue to be careful. In fact, many members of the opposition Conservative Party in Canada are sympathisers of the Khalistani cause. There is no guarantee that Canada’s policy towards India will be normal as we would want it to be.”
In his remarks at the Kautilya Economic Conclave, Jaishankar also said that India is looking at resuming visa services for Canadians “very soon”. Following the diplomatic row, India had suspended visa services for all Canadians citing safety of its diplomats in its missions in Canada. “That is the logical and correct thing to do,” Sachdev said. “It shows that the Government of India is open to resuming the visa services but only at the right time.”
Also read: India making it 'unbelievably difficult', says Trudeau after Delhi rejects Canada claims on violations
