Following India's request for Canada to withdraw 41 diplomats from New Delhi by October 10 to achieve diplomatic staff parity, a recent media report reveals that Ottawa has indeed taken action. Canada has evacuated its diplomatic personnel from its High Commission in India and relocated them to Southeast Asia.

Canada had a total of 62 diplomats stationed at its High Commission in India before the evacuation took place.

As per the CTV report, the majority of Canada's diplomatic personnel have been relocated from India and moved to either Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding the evacuation of these diplomats from New Delhi.

This media report surfaced just days after Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly asserted that the government had been actively engaged in diplomatic discussions with India concerning the matter of reducing diplomatic staff.

“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 that diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private,” Joly had stated.

Amidst the deteriorating bilateral relations between the two nations, India issued a request to Canada, urging the withdrawal of its 41 diplomats from New Delhi by October 10. India further emphasized that failing to adhere to this deadline would result in the loss of diplomatic immunity for these officials.

India's External Affairs Ministry has clarified its objective in this matter, stating that it is seeking parity in diplomatic presence between the two countries. "On discussions on parity, given the much higher presence of diplomats or diplomatic presence here and their interference in our internal matters, we have sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence,"  External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi made this statement while addressing media inquiries regarding the matter.

He further stated that discussions were ongoing to achieve parity. "Given that Canadian diplomatic presence is higher, we would assume that there would be a reduction," he stated.

Image source: Tribune India