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

Columbus Day is a day of both celebration and contention for numerous American towns. The ongoing discussions on Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day frequently place them in opposition to one another.

The American origins of Columbus Day, a federal holiday instituted in 1937, indicate that the contemporary observance is less associated with Christopher Columbus and his expeditions to the Caribbean and more related to the persecution of Catholic Americans, particularly Italian immigrants who faced extensive discrimination and violence in the late 19th century.

Christopher Columbus never landed on the continental United States, and his expedition to the Western Hemisphere took place 284 years before to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

What is the rationale behind the inclusion of Christopher Columbus’ voyage in the narrative of American history by the United States government? The solution is rooted in the nation’s inception.

The Beginnings of Columbus Day

During the 15th and 16th centuries, continents were frequently represented as allegorical figures in cartography and European art. Occasionally, these depictions manifested as goddess-like women.

Following the Europeans’ discovery of other land masses, North America was designated the name “Columbia” by the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, both Europeans and Americans employed the picture of Columbia to symbolize the newly independent United States, which had recently achieved freedom from British rule.

Following the passage of the Constitution in 1787 and the demise of George Washington in 1799, early Americans commenced the documentation of their nascent nation’s history.

Desiring to dissociate from England, these Americans regarded Columbus as possessing numerous admirable traits: he originated from humble beginnings, he did not navigate under the English crown (but rather for Portugal and Spain), and his expertise and leadership acumen contributed to his achievements.

This abridged rendition of Columbus’s narrative catered to the requirements of America’s 18th-century political leaders, who were predominantly Protestant.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Columbia, initially a sign of our nation, ultimately became synonymous with the historical hero Columbus, so establishing a new national emblem comparable to the bald eagle and the United States flag. Thus, Columbus emerged as a foundational reference for the nascent nation’s documented history.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day originated from the aspiration of Native American communities to honor the history and culture of the indigenous populations of the Americas.

Columbus Day is not observed in states with minimal Italian American presence and bigger native populations, like Colorado, Alaska, South Dakota, and Vermont.

Hawai’i observes “Discoverer’s Day” by commemorating their Polynesian forefathers, rather than European explorers, who also traversed the seas.

Although Columbus Day is a federal holiday, individual states and municipalities have the authority to determine their own celebratory practices. The City of Pittsburgh observes both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

In contrast to the 18th and 19th centuries, his standing as an American hero has undoubtedly evolved. Numerous Italian Americans today recognize that a holiday commemorating him does not honor the good contributions of Italian immigrants or the rich culture of Americans of Italian descent.

Trending News:

Amazon Workers Are Getting Free Prime Memberships

Amazon Workers Are Getting Free Prime Memberships

(VOR News) – North Korea is preparing to blow up highways that span its heavily guarded border with South Korea, Seoul said on Monday.

The North has accused its rival of deploying drones over its capital, Pyongyang. This occurred amid a growing verbal exchange between the two nations.

According to a military officer in South Korea, North Korean personnel were operating under cover on their side of the border’s highways close to the east and west coasts. These preparations are thought to be for the aim of setting off explosives on the roads, which might occur as early as Monday.

In a statement released on Friday, the North Korean government charged that South Korea had used drones to drop a “huge number” of anti-North Korean leaflets above Pyongyang.

The North Korean authorities called this a military and political provocation.

On Monday, Lee Sung-jun, a spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, failed to respond to inquiries on whether or not South Korean military personnel piloted the drones.

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, made yet another divisive statement on Monday, criticizing both the US and South Korea. She said that Washington should be held responsible for its conduct as well as the South Korean military, which was “clearly” to blame for the drone intrusion.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published her message, in which she made references to Washington and Seoul. “If the sovereignty of a nuclear weapons state was violated by mongrels tamed by Yankees, the master of those dogs should be held accountable for this,” she suggested.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North Korean army reportedly stated last week that it will thoroughly fortify the area on its side of the border and cut off all roads and railroads connected to South Korea.

The North Korean leadership issued a threat to execute a “horrible disaster” if it was discovered that South Korean drones were once again hovering over Pyongyang over the weekend. According to a statement issued on Sunday, eight artillery battalions that are fully armed have been stationed at the frontier and are prepared to fire.

The South Korean military has stated that it is refraining from responding to inquiries regarding the drones due to the possibility of falling prey to Pyongyang’s strategy of generating justifications for provocations if it were to address the North’s allegations.

Lee stated that South Korea has been improving its anti-drone defenses since 2022.

Five North Korean drones soared above Seoul for hours.

Expert in military drone operations at Jungwon University Lee Kyoung-haing said that individuals could easily purchase drones with a range of about 186 miles, which is the distance round trip from Pyongyang to the South. Leaflets would be a minimal payload that these drones might transport.

Some observers think that even if individuals from the South had crossed the border with these drones, it would have been challenging for them to do so without official government permission. It’s also possible that the authorities failed to recognize and outlaw them.

The drones, according to the North Korean Ministry of Defense, were of a kind that needed a specialized launcher or a runway, and it was impossible for a civilian organization to set them off. The ministry claimed to have seen the drones flying over Pyongyang three times earlier this month.

The two Koreas remain formally at war despite the Korean War of 1950–1953 concluding with an armistice instead of a peace treaty.

The above mentioned cross-border interactions are remnants from periods of détente between the countries, exemplified by the 2018 summit between the presidents, during which they proclaimed the cessation of hostilities and the commencement of a new era of peace.

North Korea has reinstated guard posts and heavy weaponry in the Demilitarized Zone’s border buffer following the two nations’ decision to annul a military pact established in 2018 aimed at reducing tensions.

SOURCE: NBC

SEE ALSO:

Dennis Quaid’s Speech in Support of Donald Trump Functions As An Ultimatum. Time to Determine One’s Stance.

North Carolina Football Player Tylee Craft Dies From Rare Lung Cancer At 23