India on Tuesday announced expulsion of a senior Canadian diplomat, in a tit-for-tat to Canada expelling an Indian official after alleging a “potential” Indian link to the killing of a Khalistani separatist leader in June. Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron MacKay was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and informed about the decision to expel the senior Canadian diplomat.
The actions marked a further deterioration in India-Canada ties as they came days after both sides decided to pause their negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement.
The relations between the two countries have been under strain over increasing activities of pro-Khalistani elements in Canada.The MEA said the decision to expel the Canadian diplomat reflects India’s growing concern at the “interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities”. “The diplomat concerned has been asked to leave India within the next five days,” it said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, India outrightly rejected as “baseless” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim of a “potential link” between Indian government agents and the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June
After Trudeau made the comments in Parliament, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced that a “top Indian diplomat” has been expelled from Canada. Joly’s office said that the diplomat is Pavan Kumar Rai, the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), according to Canadian broadcaster CBC news. In a statement in Parliament, Trudeau claimed that there were “credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.
