Former diplomats speak of five possible measures India could take after Canada named diplomats as ‘persons of interest’ in the Nijjar killing
While summoning the Canadian Charge d’Affaires and rejecting Canada’s allegations against Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other Indian diplomats in the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India “reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats”.
India has already conveyed its decision to recall Mr. Verma and five other “targeted” Indian diplomats, which former diplomats said was the only course of action as Canada’s statement had endangered their continued stay.
“The Canadian government would do well to apologise to India and walk back this absurd measure, unheard of in modern diplomatic practice. At a time when geopolitical interests are aligning, it is a pity that Canada’s political leaders have chosen to sabotage bilateral ties with India for short-term political expediency,“ former High Commissioner to Canada Ajay Bisaria (2020-22) said, calling Canada’s actions a “needless escalation” of an “already vexed diplomatic situation”.
While the Indian diplomats have complete immunity and cannot be arrested, the charges might make their movements and working with the Canadian government difficult and subject them to the ignominy of an investigation.
Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Article 29 states: “The person of a diplomatic agent shall be inviolable. He shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention. The receiving State shall treat him with due respect and shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom or dignity.”
The government still has a number of measures it could take in the next few days, the diplomats said. With India and Canada expelling six senior diplomats each, both missions in Delhi and Ottawa have been left without High Commissioners. The former Canadian High Commissioner Cameron McKay left Delhi in July after completing a three-year assignment, and his replacement is yet to take charge. This indicates a significant downgrading of diplomatic ties is on the cards, in the manner of the India and Pakistan missions, where High Commissioners were removed by both sides in 2019.
Secondly, the government could furtherdownsize the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, bringing back more diplomats, and demand that the Canadian High Commission do the same. In October 2023, in the wake of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation that Indian agents were being investigated for the Nijjar killing, and the expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat, India had not only reciprocated the expulsion, it had also demanded that Canada expel 41 diplomats or two-thirds of the personnel from its High Commission and Consulates in India. Another downsizing would squeeze operations further, and possibly mean a drastic cut in the number of visas allowed, which are already lower than in the previous years due to the tensions, as well as new Canadian cuts on student visas.
Thirdly,India could take economic measures of the kind it had against China in 2020. This would involve a go-slow on imports of Canadian goods, higher duties, special scrutiny of Canadian investments, as well as banning of certain companies and apps. India accounted for a quarter of pension funds’ investment flows in the Asian region from 2019 to 2023, a cumulative $55 billion in India.
Fourth, New Delhi could also cut ties more drastically by cancelling visas for Canadians altogether. In September 2023, India suspended all visa processing for Canadians across the board, given security issues, for about a month. As a majority of these visas are given to Indian-origin people returning to India to meet their families, this causes considerable hardship for the diaspora, especially those needing to return for weddings and medical emergencies, and their appeals to the government, both at the Centre and State-levels here, become an issue.
Fifth, in addition, this could lead to curtailing travel ties, and direct flights between the two countries. During the COVID pandemic in 2020, India and China cancelled direct flights between themselves, and these have so far not been restored by New Delhi.
India ‘reserves the right to take further steps’ against Canada: MEA
Former diplomats speak of five possible measures India could take after Canada named diplomats as ‘persons of interest’ in the Nijjar killing
While summoning the Canadian Charge d’Affaires and rejecting Canada’s allegations against Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other Indian diplomats in the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India “reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats”.
India has already conveyed its decision to recall Mr. Verma and five other “targeted” Indian diplomats, which former diplomats said was the only course of action as Canada’s statement had endangered their continued stay.
“The Canadian government would do well to apologise to India and walk back this absurd measure, unheard of in modern diplomatic practice. At a time when geopolitical interests are aligning, it is a pity that Canada’s political leaders have chosen to sabotage bilateral ties with India for short-term political expediency,“ former High Commissioner to Canada Ajay Bisaria (2020-22) said, calling Canada’s actions a “needless escalation” of an “already vexed diplomatic situation”.
While the Indian diplomats have complete immunity and cannot be arrested, the charges might make their movements and working with the Canadian government difficult and subject them to the ignominy of an investigation.
Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Article 29 states: “The person of a diplomatic agent shall be inviolable. He shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention. The receiving State shall treat him with due respect and shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom or dignity.”
The government still has a number of measures it could take in the next few days, the diplomats said. With India and Canada expelling six senior diplomats each, both missions in Delhi and Ottawa have been left without High Commissioners. The former Canadian High Commissioner Cameron McKay left Delhi in July after completing a three-year assignment, and his replacement is yet to take charge. This indicates a significant downgrading of diplomatic ties is on the cards, in the manner of the India and Pakistan missions, where High Commissioners were removed by both sides in 2019.
Secondly, the government could furtherdownsize the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, bringing back more diplomats, and demand that the Canadian High Commission do the same. In October 2023, in the wake of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation that Indian agents were being investigated for the Nijjar killing, and the expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat, India had not only reciprocated the expulsion, it had also demanded that Canada expel 41 diplomats or two-thirds of the personnel from its High Commission and Consulates in India. Another downsizing would squeeze operations further, and possibly mean a drastic cut in the number of visas allowed, which are already lower than in the previous years due to the tensions, as well as new Canadian cuts on student visas.
Thirdly,India could take economic measures of the kind it had against China in 2020. This would involve a go-slow on imports of Canadian goods, higher duties, special scrutiny of Canadian investments, as well as banning of certain companies and apps. India accounted for a quarter of pension funds’ investment flows in the Asian region from 2019 to 2023, a cumulative $55 billion in India.
Fourth, New Delhi could also cut ties more drastically by cancelling visas for Canadians altogether. In September 2023, India suspended all visa processing for Canadians across the board, given security issues, for about a month. As a majority of these visas are given to Indian-origin people returning to India to meet their families, this causes considerable hardship for the diaspora, especially those needing to return for weddings and medical emergencies, and their appeals to the government, both at the Centre and State-levels here, become an issue.
Fifth, in addition, this could lead to curtailing travel ties, and direct flights between the two countries. During the COVID pandemic in 2020, India and China cancelled direct flights between themselves, and these have so far not been restored by New Delhi.
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