India says it is agency on Canada decreasing diplomatic employees within the nation however units no deadline

NEW DELHI — India mentioned Thursday it has set no deadline up to now however stays decided to scale back Canada’s diplomatic presence within the South Asian nation amid a confrontation over Canadian accusations that India might have been concerned within the killing of a Sikh separatist chief in suburban Vancouver.

New Delhi has dismissed the accusations as absurd.

India’s Exterior Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi advised reporters at a information convention on Thursday that the 2 nations are discussing “modalities on reaching” parity as to the degrees of diplomatic illustration.

“I wouldn’t wish to get into particulars of the dialog,” he mentioned.

Earlier this week, a Canadian official mentioned India has advised Canada to take away 41 of its 62 diplomats within the nation.

Bagchi didn’t reply when requested whether or not Canada has supplied credible proof to again up its accusations however solely reiterated New Delhi’s stand that it’s open to look into “something related and particular” that Canada might put ahead.

India has additionally canceled visas for Canadians. Canada has not retaliated for that. India beforehand expelled a senior Canadian diplomat after Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appeared to attempt to calm the diplomatic conflict, saying that Canada is “not seeking to provoke or escalate.”

For years, India has accused Canada of giving free rein to Sikh separatists who’ve been combating for the creation of “Khalistan,” a separate Sikh nation in India’s northern Punjab state.

Bagchi on Thursday insisted that Canada enhance the safety scenario for Indian diplomats there. New Delhi has argued that Indian diplomats in Canada usually are not protected going to and from their jobs on the diplomatic missions within the North American nation due to an alleged local weather of concern created by Sikh separatists.

Trudeau mentioned final month that there have been “credible allegations” of Indian involvement within the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh chief who was killed by masked gunmen in June in Surrey, exterior Vancouver.

For years, India has mentioned Nijjar, a Canadian citizen born in India, has hyperlinks to terrorism, an allegation Nijjar had denied.