New Delhi: The Indian government has set a deadline of October 10 for Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff in India to match the number of Indian diplomats in Canada, sources told CTV News.While earlier reports suggested that 41 diplomats might have to leave, the specific request is for parity in the numbers.CTV News has learnt that a majority of the Canadian diplomats working in India outside of Delhi have been evacuated to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.Global Affairs Canada had previously reported that “with some diplomats having received threats on various social media platforms,” it was “assessing its staff complement in India.”“As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily adjust staff presence in India,” the department said.This was days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in a murder on Canadian soil.When initial reports emerged about India’s request for Canada to reduce its diplomats, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly did not confirm the demands. They emphasised their desire to avoid escalating tensions with India, noting the “extremely challenging time”.Trudeau stressed the importance of having diplomats on the ground to assist Canadians and Canadian families. “We’re taking this extremely seriously, but we’re going to continue to engage responsibly and constructively with the government of India,” Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday.At Thursday’s (October 5) briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi refused to mention the number of diplomats or the deadline for them to remain in India.“Look, I would not like to get into the details of diplomatic conversations. As we mentioned, I think last week, given that Canadian diplomatic presence is very much higher, we would assume that there would be a reduction. I think that broadly covers those issues.”When pointed out that Canada had indicated that it will impact consular services, Bagchi said, “…it’s up to the Canadian side who they choose to staff their High Commission with”.Indians have long been going to Canada for study and work. Around 40% of international students in Canada are from India. Further, Indian tourists are the largest spenders among any nationality as per a 2021 census.In Canada, people of Indian origin account for about 3.7% of the population or 1.4 million. Besides, 770,000 people reported their religion as Sikhism, about 2% of Canada’s population.Canada, along with its close allies including the United States, have repeatedly asked India to join the investigation. India has responded that it will be willing to look at any specific information when it is shared.