Canadian officials ordered the removal of 41 of its diplomats in India after New Delhi authorities threatened to revoke their immunity.
The situation is the latest development in the Canada-India row that started after the June killing of a Sikh community leader. The decision to remove the diplomats came after Ottawa alleged that New Delhi may have had involvement in the incident that resulted in the death of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver.
Removal of Canadian Diplomats in India
However, India has accused Canada of harboring so-called separatists and "terrorists" but dismissed the accusation that it was involved in the killing of Najjir as "absurd." New Delhi has also taken diplomatic steps to express its anger over the allegations.
In a statement on Thursday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that out of the country's 62 diplomats in India, 41 were removed. These included their dependents and the official noted that exceptions were made for the 21 diplomats who will remain in the South Asian country, as per the Associated Press.
Joly noted that the decision to remove the diplomats was because they were at risk of having their immunity stripped on an "arbitrary date." She said that this would have placed their personal safety in jeopardy.
The Canadian foreign minister added that the removal of diplomats' immunity was unprecedented and was contrary to international law. She argued that it was for that reason that Canada would not threaten to do the same thing with Indian diplomats in the country.
She said that a unilateral revocation of the diplomatic privilege and immunity is contrary to international law and was a clear violation of the Geneva Convention on diplomatic relations. Joly noted that threatening to make such decisions is unreasonable and escalatory.
Murder of Sikh Community Leader
The development comes as Canada had been in talks with India in an effort to avert the effective expulsion of diplomats. Joly declined to talk about the status of the negotiations as she continued to condemn India's decision as a blow to the global agreement that would ensure the safety of their diplomats, according to the New York Times.
Joly said that immunity allows diplomats to conduct their work without fear of reprisal or arrest from the country that they are in. She added that it is a fundamental principle of diplomacy and is a two-way street.
On top of removing the 41 diplomats in India over the threat to their immunity, Canada will also temporarily close three consulates and concentrate services at its main diplomatic mission in New Delhi.
The Canadian foreign minister said that if they let the norm of diplomatic immunity be broken, no diplomats anywhere on the globe would feel safe for their own well-being. The development comes after New Delhi last month asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence.
The request was made after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited what he claimed to be credible evidence of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder of Najjir. The murder of the Sikh community leader comes as roughly 2 million Canadians have Indian heritage, said Reuters.
