In an escalating diplomatic dispute, India has expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in retaliation hours after Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat. The strained relations stem from Canada’s investigation into “credible allegations” of Indian government links to the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed during a parliamentary session that Canadian intelligence agencies had been probing these allegations. Nijjar was fatally shot on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia.
In response, India swiftly ordered the departure of a Canadian diplomat, identified as Olivier Sylvestere, from the country within the next five days. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs justified this decision by expressing “growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.”
This tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats underscores the deteriorating relations between the two nations and the increasing tensions arising from the ongoing investigation into Nijjar’s assassination.
