Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on at a joint press statement at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 23, 2018. (IMAGE: AFP)
The relationship between India and Canada has been under pressure for over a half a decade as the Indian government remains unimpressed with the sheltering of Khalistani separatists in the country.
India and Canada ties have remained under pressure for almost half a decade and with Ottawa now designating the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats as ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country, relations are expected to get frostier.
The ministry of external affairs on Monday said it ‘strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centred around vote bank politics’.
Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside of India — about 770,000 people, or about 2.1 per cent of the country’s population, Canadian federal data suggests.
A section of the community actively participates and supports in activities sponsored by the violent Khalistani separatist movement that calls for a separate Sikh homeland carved out of India, through violent means.
Some of the members of the community have also been a backer of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government and have also shown support for his rival Canada’s leader of opposition, Pierre Poilievre, of the Conservative Party and once-ally NDP’s Jagmeet Singh, who has been vocal about the issue.
India has maintained that active support for these elements by the Canadian government is inimical to ties and threat to India’s sovereignty. India has also warned the Canadian government that active or passive support of Khalistani elements could also lead to law-and-order issues for Canada as these separatists are involved in drug trade, gun-running and human trafficking.
Here A Timeline Showing How India-Canada Relations Got Frosty Over Time:
- February 2018: Canada PM Justin Trudeau and his family embark on an India visit but the visit takes a controversial turn when it is revealed that Jaspal Atwal, convicted for an assassination attempt on an Indian official, was invited by a Liberal MP to two events involving Trudeau. At home, the Canadian First Family is criticised for wearing traditional Indian clothing.
- December 2020: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed support for the farmers’ protests in India against farm laws, leading Indian diplomat Anurag Srivastava to issue a statement saying: “Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country”.
- June 2023: Khalistani separatists display a tableau glorifying the assassination of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, who was murdered by her bodyguards who were Khalistani sympathisers.
- June 2023: Canadian national security adviser claims India is among the top sources of foreign interference in Canada. Ottawa earlier levelled such accusations at authoritarian states but making the claim without giving solid evidence soured ties with New Delhi.
- June 2023: Khalistani separatist terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar is gunned down by unknown assailants outside a gurdwara where he gave sermons, often targeting and calling for violence in India, in Surrey.
- June 2023: Khalistani separatists backed by Sikhs For Justice and other groups call on supporters to “besiege” Indian consulates; cash rewards announced for revealing home addresses of Indian diplomats.
- 2022-2024: Hindu temples are vandalised and members of the Indian community and the temple committees in Canada face threats from Khalistani separatists.
- September 2023: Canada halts discussions on proposed trade agreement with India.
- September 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed serious concerns to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about anti-India protests in Canada during their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi.
- September 2023: On September 18, Canadian PM Trudeau alleged a possible link between Indian agents and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the House of Commons.
- September 2023: India restricts visas for Canadians.
- October 2023: India expels 40 diplomats from New Delhi, Ottawa also expels diplomats in a tit-for-tat move.
- November 2023: A New York court has unsealed an indictment revealing a thwarted murder-for-hire scheme allegedly orchestrated by an Indian diplomat targeting a Sikh separatist.
- January 2024:The independent inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian affairs tells Ottawa to provide information regarding potential Indian meddling in elections. New Delhi firmly rejects these claims, reiterating its longstanding position that Canada permits Sikh separatists to interfere in its internal matters.
- May 2024: Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22), Amardeep Singh (22) and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh are arrested for their alleged role in Nijjar murder.
(with inputs from Reuters, PTI and CBC)
