- By Abhirupa Kundu
- Fri, 06 Oct 2023 04:30 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Canada has evacuated a majority of its diplomats working in India outside of New Delhi to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore after Ottawa was given an October 10 deadline to reduce its diplomatic staff to achieve parity in strength amid the ongoing row between the two countries since Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged India's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep singh Nijjar.
India had asked Canada to withdraw 41 out of its 62 diplomats in India. Reportedly Ottawa has evacuated its staff from its High Commission to Southeast Asia, according to a media report.
"On discussions on parity, given the much higher presence of diplomats or diplomatic presence here and their interference in our internal matters, we have sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told mediapersons in response to a question on the issue.
Paramilitary personnel deployed at Canada High Commission as the security increases amid diplomatic tension. (Photo credit: ANI)
According to a CTV news report Canada evacuated most of their diplomatic staff from India and shifted them to either Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) or Singapore.
An official statement in this regard is still awaited. The news comes amid claims by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly on Tuesday that the government was engaged diplomatically with India on the issue of staff reduction and that Canada was interested in holding "private talks" with India.
"We are in contact with the government of India. We take Canadian diplomats' safety very seriously, and we will continue to engage privately because we think that diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private," Jolie had said
India has maintained its stance on Canada's allegations calling it "politically driven", "absurd" and "motivated".
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