We do not agree with Indian decisions, says UK

London: The UK government has expressed its disagreement with Indian government decisions, which it believes resulted in the departure of Canadian diplomats amid an ongoing standoff between India and Canada over the killing of a Sikh separatist. The move impacted the effective functioning of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Friday.

It came after Canada said it had withdrawn 41 diplomats following an alleged Indian threat to unilaterally revoke their status amid strained bilateral relations over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claims of Indian agents being involved in the June murder of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly rejected the allegation and also refuted any violation of the Vienna Convention in relation to the diplomats' exit. “Resolving differences requires communication and diplomats in respective capitals. We do not agree with the decisions taken by the Indian government that have resulted in a number of Canadian diplomats departing India,” reads the FCDO statement.

“We expect all states to uphold their obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The unilateral removal of the privileges and immunities that provide for the safety and security of diplomats is not consistent with the principles

or the effective functioning of the Vienna Convention. We continue to encourage India to engage with Canada on its independent investigation into the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” it said.

The UK's statement followed the US government also backing Canada over the standoff, with the State Department saying they are “concerned” by the departure of

Canadian diplomats from India. The MEA rejected all attempts to portray the implementation of diplomatic parity as a violation of international norms.

“The state of our bilateral relations, the much higher number of Canadian diplomats in India, and their continued interference in our internal affairs warrant parity in mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa,” the MEA said in a statement on Friday. Both the UK and the US are part of the ‘Five Eyes' network. It is an intelligence alliance consisting of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand and uses both surveillance-based and signals intelligence (SIGINT).