Indian Diplomats In Canada "Clearly On Notice" After Uncovering Anti-Sikh Activities (image @JustinTrudeau)
Comparing India to Russia, Canada’s foreign minister warned remaining Indian diplomats in the country that they are “clearly on notice” not to endanger Canadian lives. The remark came after India’s top envoy in Canada was named a person of interest in the assassination of Sikh separatists Hardeep Singh Najjar.
The foreign minister Melanie Joly compared India to Russia, saying that Ottawa’s national police force has linked Indian diplomats to homicides, death threats and intimidation in Canada. India’s high commissioner and five other diplomats were expelled by Canada earlier this week.
Joly said Canada will not tolerate foreign diplomats putting the lives of Canadians at risk.
“We’ve never seen that in our history. That level of transnational repression cannot happen on Canadian soil. We’ve seen it elsewhere in Europe. Russia had done that in Germany and the UK, and we need to stand firm on this issue”, she said.
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When asked if there will be more expelling of the Indian diplomats, Joly said “They are clearly on notice. Six of them have been expelled including the high commissioner in Ottawa. Others were mainly from Toronto and Vancouver and clearly we won’t tolerate any diplomats that are in contravention of the Vienna convention”.
Earlier this week, the Canadian Prime Minister, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police went public with allegations that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing information about them with their government back home. They said top Indian officials were then passing that information along to Indian organized crime groups who were targeting the activists, who are Canadian citizens, with drive-by shootings, extortions and even murder.
India called the accusations absurd, and also expelled Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats in response.
While the issue is simmering, US also joined Canada in pointing at India for the murder plotting. US Department of Justice announced criminal charges against an Indian government intelligence officer in connection with an alleged foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), also put wanted poster of the officer named Vikash Yadav. Authorities said Yadav directed the New York plot from India. It is said that he now faces murder-for-hire charges in a planned killing that prosecutors have previously said was meant to precede a string of other politically motivated murders in the United States and Canada.
US said killing of the American Sikh man, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was to have taken place just days after Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot and killed outside a cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia, on 18 June 2023. Prosecutors say the goal was to kill at least four people in Canada and the US by 29 June 2023, and then more after that.
Both Najjar and Pannun are supporters of Sikh separatist Khalistan movement. It is banned in India, but enjoys support among Sikh diaspora, especially in Canada. Indian government repeatedly criticized Canada for being soft on the movement’s supporters.
(With inputs from agencies)
