NEW DELHI, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- India on Monday decided to withdraw its ambassador (high commissioner) to Canada, after a fresh diplomatic row erupted between the two countries.
Taking a strong objection to the Canadian government's recent decision to investigate the Indian envoys' role in the killing of a man last year in Canada, the Indian government on Monday evening summoned the Canadian Charge d'Affaires.
"He was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable. It was underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the (Justin) Trudeau government's actions endangered their safety," said an official statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
It further added, "We have no faith in the current Canadian government's commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials."
New Delhi and Ottawa got engaged in a diplomatic row in September 2023, after Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau alleged that Indian agents played a role in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader near Vancouver in June. India outrightly denied the allegations and described them as "absurd and motivated."
It was followed by the tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions between the two sides. ■
