'There Will Be Reduction Here...': India As Diplomatic Row With Canada Snowballs

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Amid the ongoing tension between India and Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs on 21 September said that the allegations by the government of Canada are primarily Politically driven, citing that there should be parity in strength in mutual diplomatic presence.
Briefing a press conference in the national capital, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, as news agency ANI quoted, \"Yes, we've informed the Govt of Canada that there should be parity in strength in our mutual diplomatic presence. Their number is very much higher than ours in Canada... I assume there will be a reduction from the Canadian side.\"Adding more, Bagchi said, \"Yes, I do think there is a degree of prejudice here. They have made allegations and taken action against them. To us, it seems that these allegations by the government of Canada are primarily politically driven.\"On being asked about allegations by Canada, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, \"Yes these allegations were raised by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau with PM (Modi) and PM rejected them.\"ALSO READ: India suspends visa services in Canada citing 'operational reasons'On the issue of visa services in Canada, Bagchi informed that MEA will be reviewing the situation on a regular basis. He said, \"You are aware of the security threats being faced by our High Commission and Consulates in Canada. This has disrupted their normal functioning. Accordingly, our High Commission and Consulates are temporarily unable to process visa applications. We will be reviewing the situation on a regular basis...\"He added, \"We are willing to look at any specific information that is provided to us, but so far we have received no specific information from Canada. From our side, specific evidence about criminal activities by individuals based on Canadian soil has been shared with Canada but not acted upon.\"On increasing security at the Indian Consulate in Canada, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, \"We have always believed that it is the host government's responsibility to provide security. Some places we have our security posture also. But, I don't want to discuss security measures in public. That's not an appropriate situation.\"Answering a question on reputational damage, Bagchi said, \"If you're talking about reputational issues and reputational damage, if there's any country that needs to look at this, I think it is Canada and its growing reputation as a place, as a haven for terrorists, for extremists, and organized crime. And I think that's a country that needs to worry about its international reputation.\"India suspends visa services in CanadaEarlier in the day, India suspended visa services in Canada citing 'operational reasons'. The move comes amid the souring relationship between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.A private agency, BLS, hired for initial scrutiny of visa applications of Canadians put out a note on its website, conveying“Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice. Please keep checking the BLS website for further updates.\"On Wednesday, India told its citizens to avoid traveling to parts of Canada, following a diplomatic row sparked by the allegation that New Delhi was involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist near Vancouver.

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