London:
British Prime Minister Rishi Singh has said in a call with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau that he hopes to see an easing of the India-Canada diplomatic row, which has been deadlocked over the killing of a Khalistani terrorist in June.
According to a Downing Street statement, the British Indian leader spoke to Mr. Trudeau on Friday evening during which he was briefed on the situation regarding Canadian diplomats in India. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch as Mr Sink reaffirmed Britain’s stance on respecting the rule of law after Canada accused India of involvement in the killing of a wanted pro-Khalistan terrorist.
“Prime Minister Trudeau briefed Canadian diplomats on the situation in India,” a Downing Street statement said.
“Prime Minister [Sunak] Reaffirmed the UK’s position that all countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law, including the principles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. He expressed hope that the situation would decelerate and agreed to stay in touch with Prime Minister Trudeau on next steps.
The call comes after Mr. Trudeau told the Canadian Parliament last month that his security forces were “activating credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the June killing of Khalistan Tiger Force leader Hardeep Singh Najjar in British Columbia. Following on from”. India strongly rejected it, calling it “ridiculous and provocative”.
It comes days after a diplomatic row erupted in the UK after Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Duriswamy was barred from a planned visit to the Glasgow Gurdwara in Scotland by pro-Khalistan extremists last week.
“It is with concern that Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doriswamy has been prevented from meeting the Gurudwara Committee at Gurudwara in Glasgow. The safety and security of foreign diplomats is of the utmost importance and our places of worship in the UK must remain open. . . . all,” Anne Marie Trevelyan, UK Foreign Office Secretary for the Indo-Pacific, wrote on X.
In a recent development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is liaising with its mission in Ottawa and consulates in other Canadian cities over security concerns.
“We’ve been raising concerns with people there about the safety of our diplomats and the security of the premises that our security and our judicial system require, and we will continue to do so because it’s an ongoing conversation. The issue is security, and our The diplomats are safe and the community has not been targeted,” MEA spokesperson Arndam Bagchi said in New Delhi.
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