| 03 October 2023
| Christie Anto
New Delhi, India – In a significant development, India has issued a demand for Canada to repatriate 41 of its diplomats by October 10, intensifying already strained relations between the two nations. The demand comes in the wake of Canadian suspicions that Indian government agents played a role in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and Sikh separatist leader, in British Columbia this past June. India vehemently denies any involvement in the murder and labels Nijjar as a "terrorist" due to his advocacy for Khalistan, an independent Sikh state.
The revelation of this diplomatic showdown was reported by The Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the situation. According to the newspaper, India has issued a stark ultimatum, warning that diplomatic immunity would be revoked for those Canadian diplomats who do not comply with the repatriation order by the October 10 deadline. Canada currently maintains 62 diplomats in India, and the Indian government has specifically requested a reduction of 41 diplomats, according to the report.
As news of this ultimatum broke, both the Indian and Canadian foreign ministries refrained from immediate comments or reactions, leaving the diplomatic dispute hanging in uncertainty. However, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had previously expressed concerns about the "climate of violence" and "atmosphere of intimidation" that Indian diplomats are allegedly facing in Canada.
One of the main sources of tension between the two countries is the presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada, which India believes have been openly supported by certain members of the Sikh community. Canada boasts a Sikh population of approximately 770,000, the largest outside of the northern Indian state of Punjab. This demographic represents more than 4 percent of the seats in Canada's House of Commons, despite comprising only about 2 percent of the Canadian population.
The demand for Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland, resulted in a deadly rebellion during the 1980s and 1990s, which claimed tens of thousands of lives before being suppressed by India. Today, the movement has minimal support within Punjab.
The tensions further escalated in 2020 when India accused Hardeep Singh Nijjar of delivering "hateful speeches" and promoting "seditionary and insurrectionary imputations." Consequently, India designated Nijjar as being "involved in terrorism."
This latest development underscores the fragile diplomatic relations between India and Canada and highlights the complex challenges posed by the presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada. As the October 10 deadline approaches, the international community will be closely monitoring the situation, hoping for a peaceful resolution to this contentious issue.
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