India insists Canada must reduce its diplomatic staff

The discussion between New Delhi and Ottawa is ongoing to work out the 'modalities' for downsizing Canada's missions in India and ensuring 'parity' in the respective diplomatic presence in each other's country.

New Delhi also reiterated on Thursday that it had not yet received any specific information from Ottawa regarding the allegation about India's role in the June 18 killing of Khalistani Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

A fortnight after requesting Canada to downsize its diplomatic missions in India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi stated that the two sides were discussing the "modalities for achieving" parity between the numbers of diplomats and consular officials the two governments had in each other's country.

Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the MEA, declined to comment on the number of diplomats and consular officials New Delhi wanted Canada to withdraw from India. He also avoided confirming the recent report by the Financial Times newspaper that New Delhi had asked Canada to withdraw 41 of its 62 officials from its diplomatic and consular missions in India by October 10, or they would lose their diplomatic immunity. "I wouldn't like to get into the details of diplomatic conversation," he said during a media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday.

"Given the much higher presence of diplomats or diplomatic presence here...and their continued interference in our internal matters, we have sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence," the MEA spokesperson told journalists, adding, "Discussions are ongoing on the modalities of achieving this."

New Delhi had asked Canada on September 22 to reduce the number of staff in its high commission in New Delhi and the consulates in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chandigarh. The move is intended to achieve parity between Canada's diplomats and consular officials in India and India's in Canada.

This request came just days after a diplomatic dispute between the two nations following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement in the House of Commons that his government's security agencies were actively pursuing "credible allegations" about "a potential link" between New Delhi's agents and the killing of Nijjar. New Delhi had pointed out that Canada had many more diplomats in India than India had in Canada.

"Given that Canadian diplomatic presence is higher, we would assume that there would be a reduction," Bagchi said on Thursday.

Ottawa argued that Canada needed more diplomats in India because the South Asian nation had a population of 1.4 billion, much larger than the 40 million people in the North American country.

"It's up to the Canadian side to choose who they staff the high commission with...our concerns are related to ensuring parity in diplomatic presence," Bagchi said in response to a question about the possibility of a reduction in staff at the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi and the consulates in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chandigarh affecting Canada's issuance of visas to citizens, especially Indian students.

"Our concerns are related to ensuring parity in diplomatic presence. That's where our focus is," Bagchi stated.

New Delhi has already dismissed Ottawa's allegation about India's role in the killing of the Khalistani Sikh extremist in Canada, calling it 'absurd,' 'motivated,' and 'unsubstantiated.'

Asked whether Ottawa had shared any information or evidence with New Delhi to support its allegation about the role of the agents of the Government of India in Nijjar's killing, the MEA spokesperson referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's remark last week that if any specific or relevant information was shared with New Delhi, it would look into it.

Bagchi also reiterated New Delhi's concerns about the safety of India's diplomats and consular officials, as well as its missions in Canada.