New Pakistan supplies food and fertiliser.

In an unnecessary escalation, "India has asked Canada to recall over 40 of its diplomats from India, according to a report from the Financial Times. New Delhi has set October 10 for the repatriation." TOI. After that date, diplomatic immunity will be revoked. Reuters. "External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said the size of Canadian diplomatic staff in India is larger than what New Delhi has in Canada and that there should be a parity in strength and rank equivalence in the mutual presence." It is not Canada's fault that India cannot afford more diplomats. "A shortage of diplomats not only hinders the realisation of foreign policy goals, but also affects India's global outreach." "According to the MEA (ministry of external affairs), India's diplomatic strength as in November 2017 is a mere 941." The Print in 2019. Instead of increasing, the number of Indian diplomats has fallen. As on 28.03.2023, "In recent years the intake into the Indian Foreign Service has averaged between 30-35 persons annually. The present cadre strength of the service stands at approximately 850 officers manning around 193 missions and posts abroad and the various posts in the Ministry at home." MEA. In contrast, "Canada itself in total counts near 112 Embassies and 179 Consulates spread all over the world." Embassy Worldwide. A total number of 291 representations abroad. "Over the course of the last year, Canada has welcomed 2,26,450 Indian students," and as of 31 December 2022 there were 3,19,130 Indian students already in Canada. ET. "In 2022, international students contributed $22.3 billion to the Canadian economy, of which approximately $10.2 billion came from Indian students." "Canada, in return, has always been welcoming to Indian students, offering a range of funding options and importantly, a clear path towards permanent residency." Forbes. Canada must be spending a lot of money maintaining so many diplomats in India to facilitate visas to students and to their families. Indians have reacted to Canada's allegations with an outpouring of vitriolic abuse. "The 'Justin Trudeau' show, quite frankly, would give the theatre of the absurd a bad name. With the US presenting its own village theatre sideshow hamming with Five Eyes, the hypocrisies of the West appear naked as never before." DH. Canada, on the other hand, has been much more measured and polite. "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said his country is serious about building closer ties with India despite an ongoing diplomatic row." BBC. "In reality, the India-Canada dispute came at a very inopportune moment for the US," as "It is in America's interest that India does not get any closer than it already is to Russia and China," wrote Frank Islam. Problem is, "With surplus of everything from edible oils to lentils to feed cakes, Canada has been a top supplier of masroor lentils, white/yellow pea, and so on. Canadian imports, notably, came in handy in fighting the arhar dal crisis," wrote Indra Shekhar Singh. Also "Canada has the world's biggest reserves of potash, about 30%. They are also the top producers of the fertiliser." With over 800 million people in India being given free food grains by the government (NDTV), can we afford to cut off supplies from Canada? If Canada is the "New Pakistan" (BT), better hold elections asap. Before food prices hit the sky. Else, it could be bye-bye.