Heavy safety deployed at High Commission of Canada on September 19, 2023 in New Delhi, India.
Hindustan Times | Hindustan Times | Getty Images
Canada has pulled 41 diplomats and their households from India, after New Delhi threatened to have their diplomatic immunities revoked if Ottawa didn’t adjust to calls for for parity in diplomatic staffing.
“Canada confirms that India formally communicated its plan to take away immunities unilaterally for all however 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in New Delhi by October 20, 2023,” the Canadian Foreign Ministry stated in an announcement on Thursday.
The transfer successfully slashed Canada’s diplomatic numbers in India — its largest supply of latest migrants — by about two-thirds. As a outcome, Canada has to temporarily suspend in-person services at consulates in Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Mumbai, leaving its High Commission in New Delhi as the one place in India the place it is ready to supply providers in a rustic that is been its largest supply of latest migrants.
India’s Ministry for External (*41*) didn’t instantly reply to a CNBC request for remark after workplace hours.
Tensions between the 2 nations escalated in September when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claimed there have been “credible allegations” the Indian authorities orchestrated the extra-judicial slaying of a Sikh separatist in Canada.
After reciprocal diplomatic expulsions final month, India issued a journey warning for its residents, suspended visa functions in Canada, and demanded for parity in diplomatic staffing, which meant Ottawa needed to lower workers numbers in India.
“A unilateral revocation of diplomatic privileges and immunities is opposite to worldwide regulation, together with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. This motion taken by India is totally unreasonable and escalatory,” it added.
“Diplomatic immunities needs to be revered and can’t be unilaterally revoked by a number nation. If we enable this norm to be damaged, no diplomat anyplace could be protected,” Canada stated.
“As such, the Government of Canada will proceed to respect diplomatic norms and never reciprocate this motion.”