The Evening Wrap: India will resume visas if we see progress with Canada, says Jaishankar

Canada’s inability to provide safety and security to Indian diplomats challenges the “most fundamental aspect” of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on October 22. Jaishankar’s remarks came two days after Canada withdrew 41 of its diplomats from India and “paused” walk-in services at its consulates in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chandigarh affecting Canadian visa facilities for Indians. Jaishankar said, India would like to resume visa services if the working condition for Indian diplomats improves in Canada. An informed source told The Hindu that India is reviewing the security situation that led to the suspension of visa services in Indian missions in Canada. In the context of the withdrawal of Canadian diplomats from India, Ottawa’s foreign minister Melanie Joly had accused New Delhi of violating the Vienna Convention saying, “A unilateral revocation of diplomatic privileges and immunities is contrary to international law, including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.” Canada’s position drew quick support from the U.S. and the U.K. The Ministry of External Affairs on its part insisted that the main issue was not about withdrawal or expulsion of diplomats but about “parity” as India wanted Canada to adhere to “parity” in diplomatic representation arguing that Ottawa was maintaining a “much higher” number of diplomats in India. “We invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel. We haven’t made much of that public. My sense is that over a period of time more stuff will come out and people will understand why we had the kind of discomfort with many of them which we did,” said Jaishankar, emphasising that “parity” is part of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relation. Israel-Hamas war | Israel expands evacuations as Lebanon border clashes escalate Israel expanded planned evacuations of communities on its northern front with Lebanon on October 22 as cross-border clashes with fighters from Lebanese group Hezbollah intensified since the war in Gaza erupted more than two weeks ago. After enacting a plan last week to move residents out of 28 border-area villages, and the nearby town of Kiryat Shmona, with state-funded temporary accommodation, the Israeli Defence Ministry said it was adding 14 communities to the evacuation list. Amid the tensions, Iran’s Foreign Minster warned Israel and the United States that the conflict in the regions risked spiralling out of control as a result of Israel’s war on Hamas. “I warn the US and its proxy (Israel)... that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said at a joint news conference in Tehran with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken too said that Washington saw potential for escalation in the ongoing war in the region due to the actions of Iran and its proxies. The United States was not looking for escalation, Blinken told NBC News in an interview. He added the United States hoped for more hostages to be released by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Hezbollah would make “the mistake of its life” if it starts a war with Israel. “We will strike it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the significance for it and the state of Lebanon will be devastating,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the troops in northern Israel near the Lebanon border. Israeli warplanes struck targets across the Gaza Strip as well as two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank allegedly used by militants. Israel’s military spokesman said the country is stepping up its attacks, and there are growing expectations of a ground offensive. Also in the day, a convoy of 17 trucks with aid to besieged Palestinians crossed into Gaza, Egypt’s state-run media reported. The delivery would be the second shipment into the territory in the past two days. The UNICEF said that the lives of at least 120 newborn babies on incubators in war-torn Gaza’s hospitals are at risk as fuel runs out in the besieged enclave. More than 1,750 children have already been killed by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The WHO said that about 1,000 people needing dialysis will also be at risk if the generators stop. Meanwhile, a special flight carrying 143 people, including two Nepalese citizens, left for India under ‘Operation Ajay’. Also, the bodies of four Nepali students killed in the Hamas attack in Israel were brought back to Kathmandu, a senior official said. India sending humanitarian assistance to Gaza Strip India on October 22 became the latest country to rush help to the civilian population of Gaza Strip which is facing blockade and Israeli military operation. The relief material will be delivered to El Arish airbase of Egypt which is located close to Gaza border. “An IAF C-17 flight carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine departs for El-Arish airport in Egypt. The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, water purification tablets among other necessary items,” official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. Ambassador of Palestine Adnan Abu Alhaija appreciated the gesture and said the blockade of the last fortnight had stopped entry of essential items such as oxygen into the Gaza Strip. Several countries such as Egypt, Turkey and the U.S. have started sending help to Gaza through the border crossing of Gaza, and Indian goods are expected to reach Gaza through the same route. India has reiterated its support for the two-state solution to end the Israel- Palestine conflict since it flared up on October 7. Manipur tribals protest deployment of ‘additional’ police commandos in border town Moreh A section of tribal women in Manipur’s Moreh town bordering Myanmar has been protesting against the deployment of “additional” police commandos for the past few days. Women are on a sit-in at Chikim village, around 3 km from Tengnoupal district’s Moreh, a Kuki majority town. Officials said that a commandant of the Assam Rifles and other security officers held a series of talks with the protesters in the last few days but the issue is yet to be addressed. Several tribal organisations such as the Kuki Inpi and the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) claimed that efforts are on to induct more police personnel drawn from Imphal Valley in the town and this might disturb peace. “Despite the strong presence of para-military forces and Indian Army manning the buffer zones and securing tranquillity within Moreh, the deployment of additional Meitei police through night choppers is of grave concern,” COTU said in a statement. It claimed that the recovery of arms and ammunition in recent operations in Imphal East district is “stage-managed” to malign the community. Kuki Inpi also demanded removal of the checkpoints allegedly set up by Meiteis in Kakching Lamkhai and Wangjing areas along the Imphal-Moreh road, where essential commodities that were transported to Moreh and Tengnoupal sub-division are being “blocked”. Withdraw circulars to use bureaucrats as ‘pracharaks‘ of the Union government: Kharge Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 22, objecting to a recent decision taken by the Centre to depute senior bureaucrats to all districts in the country as ‘Rath Prabharis’ to propagate the Union government’s development initiatives. Kharge, also voicing the concerns of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties, said the move is gross misuse of government machinery to serve the interests of the BJP. He said the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation were already acting as “election departments of the BJP”, and the orders put the entire government machinery to work “as if they were agents of the ruling party”. “All agencies, institutions, arms, wings, and departments are now officially ‘pracharaks’. In view of protecting our democracy and our Constitution, it is imperative that the above orders are withdrawn immediately,” Kharge demanded. The Congress president argued that the decision is a clear violation of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, which directs that no government servant shall take part in any political activity. “While it is acceptable for government officers to disseminate information, to make them ‘celebrate’ and ‘showcase’ achievements blatantly turns them into political workers of the ruling party. The fact that only ‘achievements’ of the last 9 years are being considered, gives away the fact that this is a transparently political order in the run-up to the five state elections and the general elections of 2024,” he said in his letter to Modi. Kharge said if senior officers of departments are being deputed for marketing activities of the Centre, governance will grind to a halt for the next six months. He also cited an earlier order by the Ministry of Defence, reportedly directing soldiers on annual leave to spend time on promoting government schemes, making them ‘soldier-ambassadors’. China, Philippines trade accusations over latest South China Sea clash China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked a Philippine boat supplying forces there on October 22, the latest in a series of maritime confrontations. The two countries have had numerous run-ins in the South China Sea in recent months, especially the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands. The Philippines has been sending supplies to troops stationed on a rusted World War Two-era transport ship used as an outpost on the shoal, prompting China’s coast guard to repeatedly deploy vessels to block the resupply missions. In the incident on October 22 morning, China’s coast guard said there had been a “slight collision” between one of its ships and the Philippine boat while the coast guard was “lawfully” blocking the boat from transporting “illegal construction materials” to the warship. Manila responded by condemning “in the strongest degree” the “dangerous blocking manoeuvres” of the Chinese vessel. China’s “dangerous, irresponsible and illegal actions” were “in violation of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction”, Manila’s Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement. Sunday’s collision occurred during a routine resupply mission of a boat contracted by the Philippine armed forces, Manila said. “The provocative, irresponsible, and illegal action” of the Chinese coast guard vessel “imperilled the safety of the crew” of the Philippine boat, the task force said. China’s coast guard said in a statement the Philippine vessel had ignored repeated warnings, crossed the bow of the Chinese ship and “deliberately provoked trouble”, causing the collision. In Brief: Agniveer dies in the line of duty in Siachen: Army An Agniveer died in the line of duty in Siachen, the Army’s Leh-headquartered Fire and Fury Corps said on October 22. Army Chief Gen. Manoj Pande and all ranks of the force condoled the death of Agniveer, Gawate Akshay Laxman, who hailed from Maharashtra. The exact details of Laxman’s death were not immediately known. Depression over Bay of Bengal likely to become low-intensity cyclone by October 24 The depression over the Bay of Bengal may become a low-intensity cyclonic storm by October 24, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on October 22. The depression lies centred around 610 km south of Odisha’s Paradip, the IMD said. “The system is likely to further intensify into a deep depression over the next 24 hours. It will move northwestwards in the subsequent 12 hours and then move towards the Bangladesh-West Bengal coasts in the following three days,” it added. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 22 October 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Canada failed to uphold Vienna Convention; India will resume visas if we see progress in Canada: Jaishankar [Canada’s inability to provide safety and security to Indian diplomats challenges the “most fundamental aspect” of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations]( said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on October 22. Jaishankar’s remarks came two days after Canada withdrew 41 of its diplomats from India and “paused” walk-in services at its consulates in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chandigarh affecting Canadian visa facilities for Indians. Jaishankar said, India would like to resume visa services if the working condition for Indian diplomats improves in Canada. An informed source told The Hindu that India is reviewing the security situation that led to the suspension of visa services in Indian missions in Canada. In the context of the withdrawal of Canadian diplomats from India, Ottawa’s foreign minister Melanie Joly had accused New Delhi of violating the Vienna Convention saying, “A unilateral revocation of diplomatic privileges and immunities is contrary to international law, including the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.” Canada’s position drew quick support from the U.S. and the U.K. The Ministry of External Affairs on its part insisted that the main issue was not about withdrawal or expulsion of diplomats but about “parity” as India wanted Canada to adhere to “parity” in diplomatic representation arguing that Ottawa was maintaining a “much higher” number of diplomats in India. “We invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel. We haven’t made much of that public. My sense is that over a period of time more stuff will come out and people will understand why we had the kind of discomfort with many of them which we did,” said Jaishankar, emphasising that “parity” is part of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relation. Israel-Hamas war | Israel expands evacuations as Lebanon border clashes escalate [Israel expanded planned evacuations of communities on its northern front with Lebanon]( on October 22 as cross-border clashes with fighters from Lebanese group Hezbollah intensified since the war in Gaza erupted more than two weeks ago. After enacting a plan last week to move residents out of 28 border-area villages, and the nearby town of Kiryat Shmona, with state-funded temporary accommodation, the Israeli Defence Ministry said it was adding 14 communities to the evacuation list. Amid the tensions, Iran’s Foreign Minster warned Israel and the United States that the conflict in the regions risked spiralling out of control as a result of Israel’s war on Hamas. “I warn the US and its proxy (Israel)... that if they do not immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza, anything is possible at any moment and the region will go out of control,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said at a joint news conference in Tehran with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken too said that Washington saw potential for escalation in the ongoing war in the region due to the actions of Iran and its proxies. The United States was not looking for escalation, Blinken told NBC News in an interview. He added the United States hoped for more hostages to be released by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Hezbollah would make “the mistake of its life” if it starts a war with Israel. “We will strike it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the significance for it and the state of Lebanon will be devastating,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the troops in northern Israel near the Lebanon border. Israeli warplanes struck targets across the Gaza Strip as well as two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank allegedly used by militants. Israel’s military spokesman said the country is stepping up its attacks, and there are growing expectations of a ground offensive. Also in the day, a convoy of 17 trucks with aid to besieged Palestinians crossed into Gaza, Egypt’s state-run media reported. The delivery would be the second shipment into the territory in the past two days. [The UNICEF said that the lives of at least 120 newborn babies on incubators in war-torn Gaza’s hospitals are at risk]( as fuel runs out in the besieged enclave. More than 1,750 children have already been killed by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The WHO said that about 1,000 people needing dialysis will also be at risk if the generators stop. Meanwhile, [a special flight carrying 143 people, including two Nepalese citizens, left for India under ‘Operation Ajay’](. Also, the bodies of four Nepali students killed in the Hamas attack in Israel were brought back to Kathmandu, a senior official said. India sending humanitarian assistance to Gaza Strip [India on October 22 became the latest country to rush help to the civilian population of Gaza Strip]( which is facing blockade and Israeli military operation. The relief material will be delivered to El Arish airbase of Egypt which is located close to Gaza border. “An IAF C-17 flight carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine departs for El-Arish airport in Egypt. The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, water purification tablets among other necessary items,” official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. Ambassador of Palestine Adnan Abu Alhaija appreciated the gesture and said the blockade of the last fortnight had stopped entry of essential items such as oxygen into the Gaza Strip. Several countries such as Egypt, Turkey and the U.S. have started sending help to Gaza through the border crossing of Gaza, and Indian goods are expected to reach Gaza through the same route. India has reiterated its support for the two-state solution to end the Israel- Palestine conflict since it flared up on October 7. Manipur tribals protest deployment of ‘additional’ police commandos in border town Moreh [A section of tribal women in Manipur’s Moreh town bordering Myanmar has been protesting against the deployment of “additional” police commandos for the past few days.]( Women are on a sit-in at Chikim village, around 3 km from Tengnoupal district’s Moreh, a Kuki majority town. Officials said that a commandant of the Assam Rifles and other security officers held a series of talks with the protesters in the last few days but the issue is yet to be addressed. Several tribal organisations such as the Kuki Inpi and the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) claimed that efforts are on to induct more police personnel drawn from Imphal Valley in the town and this might disturb peace. “Despite the strong presence of para-military forces and Indian Army manning the buffer zones and securing tranquillity within Moreh, the deployment of additional Meitei police through night choppers is of grave concern,” COTU said in a statement. It claimed that the recovery of arms and ammunition in recent operations in Imphal East district is “stage-managed” to malign the community. Kuki Inpi also demanded removal of the checkpoints allegedly set up by Meiteis in Kakching Lamkhai and Wangjing areas along the Imphal-Moreh road, where essential commodities that were transported to Moreh and Tengnoupal sub-division are being “blocked”. Withdraw circulars to use bureaucrats as ‘pracharaks‘ of the Union government: Kharge [Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi]( on October 22, objecting to a recent decision taken by the Centre to depute senior bureaucrats to all districts in the country as ‘Rath Prabharis’ to propagate the Union government’s development initiatives. Kharge, also voicing the concerns of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties, said the move is gross misuse of government machinery to serve the interests of the BJP. He said the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation were already acting as “election departments of the BJP”, and the orders put the entire government machinery to work “as if they were agents of the ruling party”. “All agencies, institutions, arms, wings, and departments are now officially ‘pracharaks’. In view of protecting our democracy and our Constitution, it is imperative that the above orders are withdrawn immediately,” Kharge demanded. The Congress president argued that the decision is a clear violation of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, which directs that no government servant shall take part in any political activity. “While it is acceptable for government officers to disseminate information, to make them ‘celebrate’ and ‘showcase’ achievements blatantly turns them into political workers of the ruling party. The fact that only ‘achievements’ of the last 9 years are being considered, gives away the fact that this is a transparently political order in the run-up to the five state elections and the general elections of 2024,” he said in his letter to Modi. Kharge said if senior officers of departments are being deputed for marketing activities of the Centre, governance will grind to a halt for the next six months. He also cited an earlier order by the Ministry of Defence, reportedly directing soldiers on annual leave to spend time on promoting government schemes, making them ‘soldier-ambassadors’. China, Philippines trade accusations over latest South China Sea clash [China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in disputed waters of the South China Sea]( as Chinese vessels blocked a Philippine boat supplying forces there on October 22, the latest in a series of maritime confrontations. The two countries have had numerous run-ins in the South China Sea in recent months, especially the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands. The Philippines has been sending supplies to troops stationed on a rusted World War Two-era transport ship used as an outpost on the shoal, prompting China’s coast guard to repeatedly deploy vessels to block the resupply missions. In the incident on October 22 morning, China’s coast guard said there had been a “slight collision” between one of its ships and the Philippine boat while the coast guard was “lawfully” blocking the boat from transporting “illegal construction materials” to the warship. Manila responded by condemning “in the strongest degree” the “dangerous blocking manoeuvres” of the Chinese vessel. China’s “dangerous, irresponsible and illegal actions” were “in violation of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction”, Manila’s Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement. Sunday’s collision occurred during a routine resupply mission of a boat contracted by the Philippine armed forces, Manila said. “The provocative, irresponsible, and illegal action” of the Chinese coast guard vessel “imperilled the safety of the crew” of the Philippine boat, the task force said. China’s coast guard said in a statement the Philippine vessel had ignored repeated warnings, crossed the bow of the Chinese ship and “deliberately provoked trouble”, causing the collision. In Brief: Agniveer dies in the line of duty in Siachen: Army [An Agniveer died in the line of duty in Siachen, the Army’s Leh-headquartered Fire and Fury Corps said]( on October 22. Army Chief Gen. Manoj Pande and all ranks of the force condoled the death of Agniveer, Gawate Akshay Laxman, who hailed from Maharashtra. The exact details of Laxman’s death were not immediately known. Depression over Bay of Bengal likely to become low-intensity cyclone by October 24 The [depression over the Bay of Bengal may become a low-intensity cyclonic storm by October 24]( the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on October 22. The depression lies centred around 610 km south of Odisha’s Paradip, the IMD said. “The system is likely to further intensify into a deep depression over the next 24 hours. It will move northwestwards in the subsequent 12 hours and then move towards the Bangladesh-West Bengal coasts in the following three days,” it added. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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