Retaliating against Ottawa, India expels a Canadian diplomat

In a statement issued on September 19, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the Canadian diplomat was ordered to leave the country within five days and New Delhi's decision reflected "growing concerns over interference by Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and their involvement in anti-India activities."

Earlier, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said that any country had just expelled a senior Indian diplomat in Canada.

The Canadian foreign minister did not name the official, but said he was the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India's foreign intelligence service in Canada.

The decisions to expel the above diplomatic officials, according to Al Jazeera news agency, were made in the context of tense relations between Canada and India.

Bilateral trade talks have been “derailed” and Canada has just cancelled a trade delegation trip to India that was planned for later this year.

Protests by independent pro-Sikh groups in Canada have angered the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Canada said on September 18 that it was “actively pursuing credible allegations” of Indian agents’ involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.

Nijjar was believed to be holding an unofficial referendum in India to create an independent Sikh state at the time of the death.

India has rejected Canada's allegations as "baseless and motivated" and called on the country to take legal action against anti-India elements operating on its soil.

Last year, Indian authorities announced a cash reward for information leading to Nijjar's arrest, accusing him of involvement in an attack on a Hindu priest in India.

The Sikh independence movement, or Khalistan, is banned in India, where officials consider it and affiliated groups a national security threat.

However, Khalistan still enjoys some support in northern India, as well as countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom, which have sizable Sikh communities.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament on September 18 that he raised Nijjar's murder with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at last week's Group of 20 (G20) Summit in New Delhi.

The Canadian prime minister said he told the head of the Indian government at the time that any involvement by the Indian government was unacceptable and he asked for cooperation in the investigation.

On September 19, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement rejecting the allegations. “Such baseless allegations are aimed at diverting attention from the Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have been given sanctuary in Canada and continue to threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India,” the statement said.