Advertisement
Canada and India expel each other’s diplomats in growing feud over 2023 assassination
Relations between the two countries have been fraught since the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
8
03:22
Canada and India expel each other’s diplomats in escalating dispute over an assassination
Canada and India expel each other’s diplomats in escalating dispute over an assassination
Canada said it has identified India’s top diplomat in the country as a person of interest in the assassination of a Sikh activist there and expelled him and five other diplomats on Monday, in an escalating dispute over the June 2023 killing and allegations of other crimes.
Advertisement
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was expelling the Indian high commissioner and the others – all persons of interest – as Canada’s foreign minister said police had uncovered evidence of a worsening campaign against Canadian citizens by agents of the Indian government.
“We will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil,” Trudeau said. He alleged that diplomats were collecting information about Canadians and passing it on to organised crime to attack Canadians, and said “India has made a monumental mistake”.
India has rejected the accusations as absurd.
India’s foreign ministry in turn said it was expelling Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats, adding that they were told to leave by the end of Saturday.
Advertisement
Advertisement