Key points
- Canada has accused India of assassinating a pro-Khalistan activist on its soil
- The row had severely impeded diplomatic ties between the two countries
- US also accused India of involvement in a botched assassination plot against a Sikh citizen on US soil
ISLAMABAD: India and Canada agreed Tuesday to return ambassadors to each other’s capitals, turning a page on a bitter spat over an assassination as Canada’s new leader welcomed counterpart Narendra Modi.
The two countries expelled each other’s high commissioners, senior diplomats who are similar to ambassadors, last fall after the Canadian authorities accused the Indian government of playing a role in a network of violence in Canada, including homicides and extortion, according to CBC.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the move following his bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 summit in Alberta.
Involvement in assassination
Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau last year publicly accused India of involvement in the assassination of a pro-Khalistan Sikh activist on Canadian soil and expelled the Indian ambassador.
According to AFP, Carney said he hoped the meeting would “provide the necessary foundations to begin to rebuild the relationship, based on mutual respect, sovereignty, trust.”
“I would describe it as foundational — as a necessary first step, a frank, open exchange of views around law enforcement, transnational repression,” he told a news conference.
The row had severely impeded diplomatic services between the two countries, which traded $9 billion in 2023. Canada had to suspend in-person services at all missions in India outside its embassy in New Delhi.
Fierce opposition
Sikh protesters rallied on the streets of Calgary, the closest large city to the summit, as many criticised Carney’s inclusion of Modi, who is accustomed to invitations to major international gatherings despite criticism of his Hindu nationalist government’s human rights record.
The left-wing New Democratic Party, the fourth largest party in parliament which is not formally part of Carney’s government, denounced the invitation to Modi and pointed to allegations of Indian surveillance against its former leader Jagmeet Singh, who is Sikh.
“Continuing to engage Modi’s government without accountability undermines all efforts to defend human rights, transparency, and the rule of law,” it said in a statement before the visit.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Canada is home to the largest Sikh population outside India. With some two per cent of Canadian population and clustered in suburban swing areas, the community has exerted growing political influence, AFP reported.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a naturalised Canadian citizen who advocated for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan, was shot dead in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in British Columbia in 2023.
Trudeau accused India of direct involvement. Canada has accused India of directing a broad campaign of intimidation against Sikh activists in the country.
The United States also accused an Indian agent of involvement in an unsuccessful plot against a Sikh separatist on US soil.
