FOREIGN Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, while not commenting on the Financial Times report that India has told Canada that it must repatriate 41 diplomats by October 10, told reporters in Ottawa: “In moments of tension, because these are tensions between both our governments, it is more than ever important that diplomats be on the ground.”

She added: “That is why we believe in the importance of having a strong diplomatic footprint in India.”

Joly said: “We will continue to engage privately because we think that diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private.”

The Globe and Mail reported that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that bilateral relations are extremely challenging and noted that it was important to have diplomats on the ground working with the Indian government.

He added: “We are going to be doing the work that matters and continuing to have constructive relations with India through this extremely difficult time.”

On September 28, Trudeau had told the media in Montreal: “India is a growing economic power and important geopolitical player. And as we presented with our Indo-Pacific strategy, just last year, we’re very serious about building closer ties with India.”

IANS reported that on September 21, while replying to questions related to a possible reduction of Canadian diplomats stationed in India, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said: “Yes, we’ve informed the government 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.”

Last month, Canada and India each expelled a senior diplomat from the other country after Trudeau announced in the House of Commons on September 18 that Canadian security agencies had been pursuing “credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India” and the June 18 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan supporter, who was killed in the parking lot of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara where he served as president.

Also, Ottawa had paused talks on a trade agreement and cancelled a trade mission to India.

India called the allegations “absurd and motivated” and said that it had received “no specific information” from Canada. It also suspended India visa services from Canada.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi hit back at Canada, telling the media: “From our side, specific evidence about criminal activities by individuals based on the Canadian soil has been shared with Canada, but have not been acted upon.”

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on September 29 that India’s diplomatic row with Canada was discussed in his meeting with top US officials — Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan — in Washington and that he gave them both an exhaustive account of India’s case, which included its assessment of “a very permissive Canadian attitude towards terrorists”.

However, Blinken said at a press conference: “As I have said before and other colleagues have said before, we’re very concerned about the allegations that were raised by Canada, by Prime Minister Trudeau. We have been in close contact with Canada about that and at the same time we have engaged with the Indian Government and urged them to work with Canada on investigation.”

He added: “And I had the opportunity to show again in my meeting yesterday with Foreign Minister Jaishankar those responsible need to be held accountable and we hope that our friends in both Canada and India will work together to resolve this matter.”

MEANWHILE, Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, told the media this week: “I would just reiterate again we are and continue to be deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau and we remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners and it’s critical that Canada’s investigation proceeds and the perpetrators be brought to justice.”

He added: “We also have as previously said publically and privately urged the Indian government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation and cooperate in those efforts.”