Trudeau Raises India-Canada Diplomatic Row In Talks With UAE President Over Israel-Hamas Conflict

In a fresh provocation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday (8 October) said that he spoke to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed about the India-Canada diplomatic row "and the importance of upholding and respecting the rule of law".

This comes as India and Canada are involved in a diplomatic row after Trudeau's allegations in the Canadian Parliament over India's 'potential link' in the killing of Khalistani terrorists Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In a post on X, Trudeau first pointed out that he spoke to the UAE President about the current situation in Israel and later added that he also discussed the India-Canada diplomatic row.

"On the phone today, His Highness @MohamedBinZayed and I spoke about the current situation in Israel. We expressed our deep concern and discussed the need to protect civilian life. We also spoke about India and the importance of upholding -- and respecting -- the rule of law," Trudeau wrote on X.

Trudeau's statement comes day after Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Tuesday expressed the country's desire for confidential discussions with India to address the diplomatic row.

Joly emphasized the seriousness with which Canada regards the safety of its diplomats and stated that private diplomatic conversations are deemed most effective.

She conveyed to reporters, "We are in contact with the government of India. We take Canadian diplomats' safety very seriously and we will continue to engage privately because we think diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private."

Earlier, Trudeau raised the India-Canada dispute with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak. In response, Sunak expressed his hope for a de-escalation of the issue, according to a UK PMO statement.

Sunak was updated on the situation relating to Canadian diplomats in India. Both leaders agreed to stay in contact as Sunak reaffirmed the UK's position of respect for the rule of law, the statement said.

During their conversation, Sunak received an update on the situation involving Canadian diplomats in India. The statement noted that both leaders agreed to maintain communication, with Sunak reiterating the UK's commitment to upholding the rule of law.

The diplomatic tensions between India and Canada escalated on 18 September 18 when Trudeau claimed that his government was actively investigating "credible allegations" linking Indian government agents to the murder of Nijjar, the leader of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force.

However, India strongly rejected Trudeau's allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated".

Nijjar was shot dead by two unidentified assailants in Surrey in the Canadian province of British Colombia. As a retaliatory measure following the expulsion of an Indian official by Ottawa, India suspended visa services for Canadian nationals and expelled a Canadian diplomat.

Further, India also asked Canada to withdraw around 40 diplomats by 10 October. Additionally, Canada was also told by New Delhi that if the diplomats remain in India after the deadline, they will be stripped of their diplomatic immunity.

As a result, Canada has relocated the majority of its diplomats in India to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India has asked Canada to reduce diplomatic staff to "bring parity".

"Given the much higher diplomatic presence in India and their continuing interference in our internal affairs, we sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence," Bagchi told a weekly media briefing on 5 October.

Bagchi explained that the request for reduced diplomatic staff was made to establish balance. He stated, "Given the much higher diplomatic presence in India and their continuing interference in our internal affairs, we sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence."