In an unprecedented step, India on Monday decided to withdraw its High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and other diplomats after Ottawa sought to link them with the killing of ‘Khalistan’ supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

As ties between the two nations touched a new low, New Delhi summoned Canada’s Charge d’affaires Stewart Wheeler to the foreign office and firmly told him that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Justin Trudeau Government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India.

The Canadian diplomat was informed that the baseless targeting of the Indian envoy and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable.

”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,” a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The Canadian Charge d’affaires, however, told reporters at the foreign office that Ottawa has provided ”credible and irrefutable” evidence to India in the matter.

Earlier in the day, in a strongly-worded statement, the MEA said, ”We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country.”

India, the MEA said, strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics.

Ties between India and Canada nosedived after PM Trudeau alleged in September 2023 Indian hand in the murder of Nijjar in his country in June 2023. India has repeatedly denied its involvement and hit out at Canada for giving space to extremists and anti-India elements.

The lengthy statement said since 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 New Delhi.

”This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains,” it said.

The statement said PM Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence. In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India.

”His (Mr Trudeau) naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard. That his government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-à-vis India, only aggravated matters,” New Delhi added.

It further said that under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, his government has deliberately brought in India in an attempt to mitigate the damage. This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction.

”It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains,” the statement added.

New Delhi alleged that the Trudeau Government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada. This has included death threats to them and to Indian leaders. All these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech.

 ”Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship. Multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organised crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded,” it added.

The statement further said High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar 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.”

 The statement said the Government of India has taken cognizance of the activities of the Canadian High Commission here that serves the political agenda of the current regime. This led to the implementation of the principle of reciprocity in regard to diplomatic representation. India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats.