Canada-India Ties Could Take A Long Time To Recover

NEW DELHI — A diplomatic row that has strained bilateral relations between India and Canada for over a year has erupted, with both nations expelling their top diplomats over the assassination of a Sikh activist in Canada, as well as suspicions of other crimes.

Experts say the diplomatic impasse would make it difficult for both nations to move forward with a once-promising cooperation, and it may have an influence on India’s objectives as it seeks to present itself as a rising global power.

“India-Canada bilateral relations, which have been deteriorating since last year, will suffer another setback that will take a long time to repair,” said Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.

Canada-India Ties Could Take A Long Time To Recover

The tit-for-tat expulsions came after Canada informed India on Sunday that its top diplomat in the country is a person of interest in the 2023 assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and that police have discovered evidence of an intensifying campaign against Canadian citizens by the Indian government agents.

Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Foreign Minister, also linked five additional expelled Indian officials to Nijjar’s assassination and stated that Canada had obtained “ample, clear, and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case.”

India’s foreign ministry dismissed the claims as ludicrous and announced that it was dismissing Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats in response.

New Delhi’s concerns about Sikh separatist movements have long strained its relationship with Canada, where approximately 2% of the population is Sikh. India has increasingly accused Justin Trudeau’s administration of allowing Sikh separatists from a once-powerful movement to establish an independent Sikh nation known as Khalistan.

Najjar was a local leader in the Khalistan movement, which is illegal in India. India labeled him a terrorist in 2020 and was seeking his arrest at the time of his death for allegedly being involved in an attack on a Hindu priest in India.

On June 18, 2023, Najjar was shot while leaving the parking lot of the Sikh temple in British Columbia where he served as president, according to Canadian authorities. He was shot numerous times and died at the scene.

In a statement issued Monday, India’s foreign ministry linked Canada’s claims to the “political agenda of the Trudeau government.” The Canadian leader will face national elections next year.

According to Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center, an American research tank, India’s robust reaction can be attributed in part to Canada’s public charges.

“New Delhi is particularly sensitive to outsider criticism of its policies. However, Canada is hardly the only country questioning Indian policy. Its government, at the highest levels, is publicly making some of the most serious accusations that another government can make,” he stated.

Last year, in response to similar claims made by Trudeau, India directed Canada to transfer 41 of its 62 diplomats to the country.

Kugelman stated that the relationship is currently on “life support,” with India’s concerns about the Khalistan movement in Canada “essentially holding the relationship hostage.”

Canada isn’t the only country to accuse Indian officials of forming an alliance on foreign land.

Last year, US prosecutors claimed that an Indian government official orchestrated a botched conspiracy to assassinate another Sikh separatist leader in New York. The official was not charged or recognized by name but was described as a “senior field officer” responsible for security management and intelligence.

New Delhi voiced alarm after the United States addressed the issue, stating that India takes it seriously. The United States State Department announced on Monday that an Indian inquiry team formed to probe the plot would come to Washington on Tuesday as part of its ongoing investigations.

Canada’s foreign minister said Monday that India is collaborating with US officials but has refused to cooperate in the Canadian inquiry.

Donthi stated that India’s diplomatic posture toward Canada was more confrontational due to the relatively modest stakes.

Canada-India Ties Could Take A Long Time To Recover

“The U.S.-India relations have a larger geopolitical framework and context, unlike India’s relations with Canada,” Donthi said, adding that India’s strong reaction was also intended to send a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s followers at home.

“Public criticism is anathema to the Indian government, which is personified by Modi. “This aggressive reaction is directed at the international community and, more importantly, at Modi’s domestic constituency,” he stated.

However, observers say the dispute might have repercussions for Modi’s global ambitions, as he wants to portray India as a rising global force and draws closer to the United States, which, like India, is concerned about China’s growing assertiveness.

Donthi stated that the rising schism between India and Canada will also “impact the growing strategic understanding between the U.S. and Western democracies” that are wooing New Delhi as a counterweight to Beijing.

“The Canadian allegations against India come against the grain, as New Delhi has been enjoying a favorable external environment,” Donthi told reporters. “This will throw a spanner in the works for India’s great power ambitions.”

SOURCE | AP