India withdraws high commissioner to Canada

Amid escalating bilateral diplomatic row, India has announced its decision to withdraw its high commissioner and other "targeted" diplomats and officials in Canada.

"The Canadian charge d'affaires was summoned by the secretary [east] this evening. He was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable," the Indian ministry of external affairs said in a statement today (14 October).

"It was underlined that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government's actions endangered their safety. 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," the Indian ministry statement added.

"It was also conveyed that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau government's support for extremism, violence and separatism against India," it said.

Canadian Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheelers told reporters,"Canada has provided credible, irrefutable evidence of ties between agents of the Government of India and the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil."

"Now, it is time for India to live up to what it said it would do and look into all those allegations. It is in the interest of both our countries and the people of our countries to get to the bottom of this. Canada stands ready to cooperate with India," ANI quoted the Canadian diplomat as saying.

The tensions between India and Canada escalated after Ottawa's move to include the Indian high commissioner as 'person of interest' in its probe into the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, reports Hindustan Times.