In an escalation of the existing diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday, reportedly, summoned Canada's Charge'd Affairs.
The Canadian envoy will meet the secretary (East) in the MEA.
#WATCH | Delhi: Canadian Chargé d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler reaches the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after being summoned by the Ministry. pic.twitter.com/iKbdUvoXbM
— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2024
The India-Canada tensions further escalated after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to link the Indian high commissioner in the probe into the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 8 last year.
India has strongly rejected the allegations against High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma. The charges against Verma are "preposterous imputations" and a "political agenda of the Trudeau government that is centred around vote bank politics."
A diplomatic communication from Canada was sent to MEA suggesting that the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats are 'persons of interest' in a matter related to an investigation in the country.
"Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side," the MEA said.
India-Canada relations became strained after Trudeau alleged India's role in the killing of Nijjar. Nijjar was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia last year.
New Delhi had refuted Canada's claims and termed them as "absurd" and "baseless".
MEA in its statement mentioned PM Trudeau's "naked interference" in Indian internal politics in December 2020. It leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains, the statement added.
MEA has criticised Trudeau for including individuals associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India in his Cabinet.
"His Government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis- -vis India, only aggravated matters," it said.
MEA said Verma is India's senior-most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years.
"He has been Ambassador in Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China. The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt," it said.
