{"id":6321,"date":"2023-09-21T12:06:06","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T12:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/new-delhi-seeking-reduction-in-canadian-diplomats-in-india-as-row-escalates\/"},"modified":"2023-09-21T12:06:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T12:06:06","slug":"new-delhi-seeking-reduction-in-canadian-diplomats-in-india-as-row-escalates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/new-delhi-seeking-reduction-in-canadian-diplomats-in-india-as-row-escalates\/","title":{"rendered":"New Delhi seeking \u2018reduction\u2019 in Canadian diplomats in India as row escalates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>New Delhi said on Thursday it is seeking the reduction of Canadian diplomatic staff in India and has stopped visa services, as a row over the <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2023\/jun\/20\/advocate-separate-sikh-state-india-shot-dead-canada-hardeep-singh-nijjar-temple\">killing<\/a> of a Sikh separatist deepens.<\/p>\n<p>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded India treat with \u201cutmost seriousness\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1776704\/indian-envoy-expelled-as-trudeau-links-delhi-to-sikh-leaders-death\">allegations<\/a> that Indian agents played a role in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver.<\/p>\n<p>The fallout prompted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1776725\">tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions<\/a> and a forceful denial from India, which said any suggestion it played a role in Nijjar\u2019s killing was \u201cabsurd\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1776744\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The allegation has sent already strained relations between the world\u2019s most populous country and G7 member Canada to a new low.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have informed the Canadian government that there should be parity\u201d in diplomatic presence, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir numbers here are very much higher than ours in Canada\u2026 I assume there will be a reduction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>New Delhi also said it had stopped handling visa applications in Canada, blaming \u201csecurity threats\u201d which they said were \u201cdisrupting\u201d the work of their officials.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor now, the security situation in Canada and because of Canadian government inaction, we have stopped visa services temporarily\u201d, Bagchi said.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"threats\" href=\"#threats\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>\u2018Threats\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Hours earlier, Canada\u2019s High Commission said it would \u201cadjust\u201d diplomat<br \/>\nnumbers in India after \u201cthreats on various social media\u201d against their staff.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats,\u201d Canada\u2019s mission said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a result, and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily adjust staff presence in India.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mission did not give further details of the number of people leaving but said its offices were \u201copen and operational\u201d, while calling for the safety of its staff to be ensured.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe expect India to provide for the security of our accredited diplomats and consular officers in India, just as we are for theirs,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Ottawa expelled a diplomat it described as the head of India\u2019s foreign intelligence service in Canada, prompting New Delhi to order a Canadian diplomat to leave.<\/p>\n<p>The suspension of visas comes a day after India\u2019s foreign ministry said it was concerned for the safety of its citizens in Canada because of \u201cpolitically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThreats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda,\u201d a ministry statement said Wednesday.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"khalistan\" href=\"#khalistan\" class=\"heading-permalink\" aria-hidden=\"true\" title=\"Permalink\"\/>\u2018Khalistan\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Nijjar was shot dead by two masked assailants outside the Sikh temple he presided over in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver.<\/p>\n<p>An activist for the creation of a Sikh state known as Khalistan, Nijjar was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.<\/p>\n<p>He had denied those charges, according to the World Sikh Organisation of Canada, a nonprofit organisation that says it defends the interests of Canadian Sikhs.<\/p>\n<p>The Indian government accuses Ottawa of turning a blind eye to the activities of radical Sikh nationalists who advocate the creation of an independent state to be carved out of northern India.<\/p>\n<p>There were signs of a brewing crisis before Trudeau revealed the probe into Nijjar\u2019s death on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>India Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed \u201cstrong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada\u201d in his meeting with Trudeau at the G20 earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>Canada had also suspended negotiations for a free-trade agreement with India, and last week its trade minister cancelled a trip to the country planned for October.<\/p>\n<p>The affair could complicate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1761117\">US government overtures to India<\/a>, which have seen both countries steadily upgrade their relations over recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Washington views New Delhi as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1774874\">key ally<\/a> in countering Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Delhi said on Thursday it is seeking the reduction of Canadian diplomatic staff in India and has stopped visa services, as a row over the killing of a Sikh separatist deepens. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded India treat with \u201cutmost seriousness\u201d allegations that Indian agents played a role in the June murder [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2023\/09\/21165134947db9f.png?r=165328","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}