India and Canada have been trading diplomatic barbs at each other amid a row linked to the probe into the killing of pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Relations between the two countries have been fraught since last year, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had evidence linking Indian agents to the assassination of the Khalistani terrorist in his country.
Earlier this week, both India and Canada expelled six diplomats after Ottawa named the Indian ambassador as a “person of interest” in the probe. India termed Canada’s move as “preposterous” and part of the political agenda of the Trudeau government.
India Canada diplomatic row
- The diplomatic row between India and Canada started after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistani leader, on Canadian soil in September 2023.
2. Nijjar, who was designated as a terrorist by India in 2020, was shot dead by masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia on June 18, 2023.
3. Trudeau and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) alleged that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada and passing information to organized crime groups.
4. Justin Trudeau, in a public testimony, also alleged that the Indian diplomats were collecting information on Canadians who are in disagreement with the Narendra Modi government and passing it to the highest levels within the Indian government and criminal organisations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
5. India rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “preposterous,” calling them a part of Trudeau’s political agenda. India has repeatedly criticised Trudeau’s government for being soft on supporters of the Khalistan movement who live in Canada.
6. India expelled six Canadian diplomats, and Canada responded by asking six Indian diplomats to leave the country.
7. Sandeep Singh Sidhu, a Canadian border police official, has been added by India to a terror probe. Sidhu, an employee of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), is accused of promoting terrorist activities in Punjab and allegedly has ties with Pakistan-based Khalistan terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode and other ISI operatives.
8. Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly on Friday said the remaining Indian diplomats in the country are “clearly on notice” after Canada named the Indian High Commissioner in Ottawa as a person of interest in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader.
9. Experts believe the diplomatic row is unlikely to directly influence visa policies, but delays in processing will continue until diplomatic staffing levels are restored.
10. The United States called on India to take seriously allegations by Canada of an assassination plot, as tensions escalated between the two US partners.