The Indo-Canadian relations have taken a worse turn after involving High Commissioner for the involvement in the murder of the Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023 despite being expelled from the country. Canada has said the diplomats are “persons of interest” in the case and demanded that they be interrogated. India has vehemently denied these accusations and this has led to this round of diplomatic reactions.
Allegations by Canada and India’s Reaction
Canada has sent a letter to MEA to arrest and interrogate Indian diplomats for their alleged role in Nijjar’s murder. India also dismissed these allegations a hundred percent as false and mere creations of the media. The MEA also underscored its prerogative to come up with a strong reaction over what it believes is the fabrication of negative narratives against diplomats and other officials it deploys abroad.
On October 16, Canada withdrew six diplomatic personnel, including India’s High Commissioner, citing safety concerns. India responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats, instructing them to leave the country by October 19, underscoring the strained relations between the two nations.
Safety Concerns and Diplomatic Withdrawals
The MEA expressed grave concerns over the safety of Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, amid the growing hostility. Verma, a seasoned diplomat with 36 years of experience, has been stationed in Canada since September 2022. India dismissed Canada’s accusations against Verma, reiterating confidence in his professional conduct.
The ministry accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of aligning with anti-Indian forces to serve political interests, highlighting Trudeau’s longstanding confrontational stance towards India. According to the MEA, members of Trudeau’s cabinet allegedly have ties to extremist elements advocating for India’s partition, intensifying tensions between the two governments.
Political Agendas and Internal Affairs
India also accused Trudeau of meddling in the country’s internal affairs by his comment on the 2020 farmers protest in India. India thinks that Canada’s actions are part of a political story associated with the ongoing investigation into external interference in Indian matters.
The MEA alleged that Trudeau has consistently exhibited hostility towards India since 2018, citing his government’s alignment with separatist forces as a factor contributing to deteriorating relations. India accuses the Canadian government of enabling the growth of extremist elements within its borders, creating a challenging environment for diplomatic cooperation.
Opposition’s Call for Bipartisan Consultation
In India, the Congress party opposing, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene his meeting with leaders of the opposition to address the delicate diplomatic issue affecting Canada. Former Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge said that for the poor situation, Modi should consider getting input from members of both houses. The opposition stressed that diplomatic scandals of this scale can only be resolved through joint actions of the government and the parliamentary opposition in the name of the people’s interests.
Conclusion
The continuing tensions between India and Canada bring to the forefront political enmity, state autonomy, and foreign relations. These allegations unveiled by Canada alongside the firm response from India have brought our relationship between the two nations to a tipping point. Conflict arising out of this event may dictate future relationships between India and Canada as both countries learn how to engage in a mutually beneficial way in the process of Foreign and security policies and cooperation.
As both governments refuse to compromise, the following weeks will show whether the diplomatic negotiation will resume to settle quarrels or whether this conflict will escalate further. Such action demonstrates that India and Canada’s diplomatic relations are very immature because what we have seen is that the expulsion of Canadian diplomats from India and the removal of the Indian personnel from Canada shows a clear fact that India and Canada have very poor diplomatic relations.
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