New Delhi [India], September 21 : The Canadian High Commission, consulates in India are open, operational and continue to serve clients, the High Commission informed on Thursday.
The Canadian High Commission said that Global Affairs Canada continuously monitors the safety and security of “our missions and personnel as we maintain a strict security protocol to respond to any events.”
It said: “In light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats. With some diplomats having received threats on various social media platforms, Global Affairs Canada is assessing its staff in India.”
Global Affairs Canada is the department of the Government of Canada that manages Canada's diplomatic and consular relations.
The Canadian High Commission said it has decided to temporarily adjust staff present in India. “All of our locations are staffed by diplomats and locally engaged staff to ensure business and operational continuity,” it said.
Global Affairs Canada will continue to take all appropriate measures to protect the health and safety of all our personnel, including locally engaged staff, and to protect our operations in India. Decisions are made based on a number of factors including the professional profile of an employee or personal circumstances, the high commission said.
“In the context of respect for obligations under the Vienna conventions, we expect India to provide for the security of our accredited diplomats and consular officers in India, just as we are for theirs here,” it said.
Indo Canada relations dipped after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday alleged that the Indian government was behind the fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Najjar, who was a designated terrorist in India, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada's Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.
Trudeau during a debate in the Canadian Parliament, claimed his country's national security officials had reasons to believe that "agents of the Indian government" carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
The allegations made by the Canadian Prime Minister and foreign minister were rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs in India which dubbed the statements as absurd.
"We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister. Allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated" the statement said.
On Wednesday, Indian nationals, students in Canada and those planning on travelling to the country were advised to exercise caution. Indian nationals and Indian students in Canada were advised to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen growing anti-India activities, according to a release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Indian students in Canada have been particularly advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant.
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