Report: India Asks Canada to Withdraw 41 Diplomats
The Facts
India has asked Canada to withdraw 41 of its 62 diplomats in India by Oct. 10, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Though both countries are yet to make an official announcement, the report claims New Delhi has threatened to revoke the immunity of diplomats who remain after the deadline.
The Spin
Narrative A
Ottawa has long indulged its radical Sikh community, which is accused of keeping the members of Sikh separatism alive in India — though the idea of Khalistan, the imagined independent Sikh homeland, is a dead horse even in India. Canada should know that showing little concern for a fellow democracy's worries is hardly a sign of good ties.
Narrative B
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, battling multiple crises at home, will face a tough national election in a few months and is using the bite-less Khalistan narrative as an easy prop to shore up his strong-man image. Any involvement in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil would be a gross violation of the nation's sovereignty. Ottawa must get to the bottom of the matter.
