Canada hints at sanctions against India over Nijjar killing, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly says ‘everything is on table’

Amid escalating tension between India and Canada, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Tuesday that "everything is on the table" when asked if her country is looking to impose sanctions on India. The minister said expelling diplomats was one of the toughest measures that a country could take under the Vienna Convention.

"For the rest, we will continue to push India to make sure they cooperate. We Will continue to engage with our five eyes partners. We will also continue to engage with the G7 partners. Everything is on the table," Joly was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Tensions between India and Canada escalated on Tuesday after the Ministry of External Affairs "strongly" rejected Canada's "diplomatic communication". The "communication" suggested that “the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related" to the investigation into the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Since then, both India and Canada have expelled six diplomats each, and India also withdrew its high commissioner in Canada. Later on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of supporting criminal activities targeting Canadian citizens.

'We don't want diplomatic confrontation'

Canadian minister Joly on Monday told reporters the evidence collected by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was the basis for the decision to expel Indian diplomats and urged the Indian government to cooperate in the ongoing investigation for the mutual benefit of both countries.

She alleged that India was asked to waive diplomatic and consular immunity and cooperate in the investigation, but refused.

"We don't want diplomatic confrontation with India. We know that thousands of Canadians go to India every year. We have lots of people from India coming to Canada as well. So we know that there are deep people-to-people ties, and want to make sure that these are still possible," Joly said at the press conference alongside Trudeau.

“We continue to ask that the Indian government support the ongoing investigation in the Nijjar case, as it remains in both our countries’ interest to get to the bottom of this,” Joly added.

The minister said violence “actually increased” following the allegations made by Canada a year ago. “Keeping Canadians safe is the fundamental job of the Canadian government. The decision to expel these individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case,” she was quoted by PTI as saying.

At the same press conference, Trudeau said: "India has made a monumental mistake by choosing to use their diplomats and organised crime to attack Canadians, to make them feel unsafe here at (their) home, and even more, to create acts of violence and even murder. It's unacceptable.”

India has dismissed these allegations and asked the Canadian diplomats to leave the country by or before 11:59 pm on October 19.