Sajjad Hussain<\/p>\n
India\u2019s diplomatic history has been marked by challenging relations not only with immediate neighbours like Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh but also with distant nations such as Canada and the United States. Though relations with the US have occasionally cooled, they have often quickly recovered. This had been the case with Canada as well until 2023, when the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistan movement leader, in Canada plunged India-Canada relations to unprecedented lows.
\nThe relationship between India and Canada has long been troubled. Tensions first escalated in 1974 when India conducted its inaugural nuclear test, with Canada accusing India of using nuclear material obtained from a Canadian-supplied reactor. This accusation led Canada to freeze nuclear energy assistance to India, although relations eventually stabilised. A primary point of tension in bilateral relations has been the Sikh-led Khalistan movement. Canada is home to approximately 800,000 Sikhs, the largest population outside India, and the movement advocating for an independent Sikh state gained momentum in the early 1980s. In 1984, the Indian government\u2019s decision to storm the Golden Temple in Amritsar to suppress the movement led to the deaths of thousands of Sikh separatists. Later that year, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had ordered the operation, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, sparking deadly riots between Hindus and Sikhs across India.
\nIn 1985, Air India flight Kanishka, en route from Montreal to Mumbai, was bombed, killing more than 300 people. Investigations linked the explosion to Canadian-based Sikh extremists seeking revenge for the Golden Temple assault. Despite warnings from Indian intelligence, the Canadian government had been criticised for its perceived negligence. Furthermore, Canada\u2019s refusal to extradite a suspect in the case strained diplomatic relations. A period of normalisation began in the 1990s as India\u2019s economic reforms attracted interest from Western nations, including Canada. Various agreements were signed, reflecting a new beginning in bilateral relations. However, this positive phase was interrupted by India\u2019s nuclear tests in 1998, leading Canada to impose sanctions on India. These tensions were eventually eased as Canada recognised India\u2019s growing economic and strategic significance. Relations remained generally positive until 2015, when Justin Trudeau took office in Canada. Trudeau, whose electoral success was partly supported by Canadian Sikhs, has since been seen as sympathetic to Sikh concerns. During a state visit to India in 2018, Trudeau faced backlash after meeting Jaspal Atwal, a Khalistan leader convicted of an Indian minister\u2019s murder in 1986. Further strain came in 2020, when Trudeau expressed concern over the treatment of farmers protesting agricultural reforms in India. His comments, viewed by the Indian government as interference, were met with sharp criticism.
\nTensions reached a new peak in June 2023 with the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Canadian temple. Later that September, Trudeau accused Indian intelligence of orchestrating Nijjar\u2019s killing and warned Modi at the G20 Summit that Canada would not tolerate foreign actions compromising its security. India categorically denied the allegations, calling them \u201cabsurd and motivated.\u201d This incident led to a diplomatic standoff, with both nations expelling each other\u2019s diplomats. In October, Canada halted trade talks with India, while India warned its citizens against travelling to Canada and suspended visa services for Canadians. Canada also withdrew 41 diplomats, citing India\u2019s revocation of diplomatic immunity as a breach of international law. Canada then expelled six Indian diplomats, accusing them of involvement in Nijjar\u2019s death and of covertly monitoring South Asian Canadians. India responded in kind, expelling six Canadian diplomats and continuing to deny the allegations.
\nIndia\u2019s intelligence operations have come under scrutiny not only in Canada but also in the US, UK, and Pakistan. In 2022, US prosecutors alleged that India plotted to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-based Khalistan leader. The mysterious death of Avtar Singh Khanda, another Khalistan leader, in the UK in 2023, as well as the assassinations of Khalistan leaders Harmeet Singh and Paramjit Singh Pajwar in Pakistan in 2020 and 2024, respectively, have also sparked suspicions of Indian involvement. Both India and Canada are members of the G20 and the Commonwealth, with trade valued at billions of dollars. They claim to share democratic values, pluralism, and strong interpersonal ties, as demonstrated by Canada\u2019s large Indian-origin community of 1.3 million people. However, the bilateral relationship remains highly volatile. In its efforts to suppress the Khalistan and Kashmir independence movements, India\u2019s diplomatic missions have been criticised as operating as espionage centres, straining diplomatic ties.
\nTo retain its credibility on the global stage, India must reconsider this approach. Without a shift away from covert interference in foreign nations, India risks diplomatic isolation sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
The writer is a freelance columnist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sajjad Hussain India\u2019s diplomatic history has been marked by challenging relations not only with immediate neighbours like Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh but also with distant nations such as Canada and the United States. Though relations with the US have occasionally cooled, they have often quickly recovered. This had been the case with Canada as well […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13507],"class_list":{"0":"post-443653","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-sajjad-hussain"},"yoast_head":"\n