The High Commissioner of Canada to India received a summon on Tuesday during which the Government of India conveyed its decision to expel a senior Canadian diplomat currently stationed in the country. The concerned diplomat has been officially instructed to depart from India within the next five days.
A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs has said that this decision underscores the escalating apprehension of the Government of India regarding the interference of Canadian diplomats in India’s internal affairs and their active participation in activities that are detrimental to India’s interests.
Canada expels India diplomat
As per the reports coming out from Canadian media CBC, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has said that the diplomat who got expelled from Canada is Pavan Kumar Rai. He holds the position of Head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s foreign intelligence agency, in Canada.
Earlier in the day, Canada took the step of expelling a high-ranking Indian diplomat, marking a crucial development in an ongoing investigation. This investigation centers on what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has described as credible allegations of potential connections between the Indian government and the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, that occurred within Canada’s borders.
For those unaware, Nijjar, aged 45, who served as the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and was among India’s most-wanted individuals with a significant cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was fatally gunned down by two unidentified assailants outside a gurdwara in Surrey, a province in western Canada’s British Columbia.