Written & Edited By : Aditi Mishra
7 October 2023 ( New Delhi ) : In a phone discussion with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he hoped to see a de-escalation of the India-Canada diplomatic dispute, which had been dominated by the impasse over the death of a khalistani terrorist in June. The British Indian Prime Minister spoke to Mr. Trudeau on Friday night, according to a Downing Street statement, and briefed him on the situation involving Canadian diplomats in India. As Mr. Sunak restated the UK position of respect for the law in response to Canada’s claim that India was involved in the killing of a pro-Khalistan wanted terrorist, both leaders decided to continue in touch.
According to a statement from Downing Street, “Prime Minister Trudeau updated on the situation relating to Canadian diplomats in India.”
The UK’s view that all nations should respect sovereignty and the rule of law, including the tenets of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, was reiterated by Prime Minister Sunak. He pledged to keep in touch with Prime Minister Trudeau to discuss the next steps and expressed his desire to see the situation defuse.
The call follows Mr. Trudeau’s declaration in the Canadian Parliament last month that the country’s security forces were “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder of Khalistan Tiger Force leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June. India strongly rejected the claim, calling it “absurd and motivated.”
It occurs only days after the impact from that diplomatic dispute reverberated in the UK when pro-Khalistan fanatics prevented Vikram Dorai swami, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, from going to the Glasgow Gurdwara in Scotland last week.
“Concerned to learn that the Glasgow Gurudwara Committee prevented the Indian High Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, from meeting with them. Our houses of worship in the UK must be available to everyone, and the safety and security of foreign diplomats is of the utmost concern,” wrote Anne-Marie Trevelyan, UK Foreign Office minister for the Indo-Pacific, on X.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has recently reported that it has been communicating with its mission in Ottawa and consulates in other Canadian cities due to safety concerns. We have been addressing concerns about the security of our diplomats and facilities from those there who are sought after by our security and justice systems, and we will do so in the future as well. Security is the issue; our diplomats are secure, and no one from the community is being targeted, according to MEA spokesperson Arindam bagchi in New Delhi.
