- As they manage their relations with India, Canadian diplomats have faced difficulties.
- A substantial rift in bilateral relations with India resulted from Trudeau’s declaration of “credible allegations” in parliament.
- India has dismissed the claim as “absurd and motivated,” refocusing attention on radicals from the Khalistan region.
As they manage their relations with India, a key actor in the area, Canadian diplomats have faced difficulties. In the weeks preceding the September Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, senior officials from the Five Eyes countries held private discussions in response to the alleged death of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Although the conference was seen as a significant event for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, no announcement was made to the public before it.
condemnation of India
A substantial rift in bilateral relations with India resulted from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s declaration of “credible allegations” in parliament, which led to the expulsion of an Indian diplomat from Ottawa.
The allegations that Indian spies were involved in the murder of pro-Khalistan leader and head of the Khalistan Tiger Force Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was also labeled as a “terrorist,” were disputed by New Delhi.
A Canadian envoy who was allegedly snooping for Canada in India was told by New Delhi to leave within five days after the Trudeau administration sought the expulsion of an Indian diplomat.
India has dismissed the claim as “absurd and motivated,” refocusing attention on terrorists and radicals from the Khalistan region who are protected in Canada. The Canadian Prime Minister’s and their Foreign Minister’s statements made in their parliament were both rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Security organizations had labeled Nijjar a terrorist in 2020 and had charged him with aiding attacks in Punjab. India had pushed nations with sizable Sikh populations, like as Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to repress the Khalistan movement. Pro-Khalistan demonstrations had taken place in San Francisco and London, upsetting the Indian administration.
As this diplomatic spat develops, Western countries are attempting to deepen their trade and geopolitical ties with India while remaining silent about their autocratic practices. At the G20 conference in India in September, tensions ran high when Prime Minister Modi refused to hold formal bilateral talks with Trudeau.
