Akshay Kalbag
India’s relations with Canada began to deteriorate following the Air India Flight 182 bombing (also known as the explosion aboard Emperor Kanishka) on June 23, 1985. Thirty-nine years on, they do not seem to be on the mend.
Firing a fresh salvo, Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson at India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said the cavalier behaviour of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alone was responsible for the severe straining of the relations between the two nations, exacerbated by the tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats.
Firmly refuting his testimony before a public foreign interference enquiry that India was involved in the death of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Jaiswal added that Trudeau’s recent admission that his government had no hard proof to back the severe allegations it levelled confirmed what New Delhi had been saying all along.
Initially, the claims were based purely on intelligence from Canada and its allies. Behind the scenes, they were trying to get India to cooperate with them. When confronted about furnishing the evidence, the Canadian PM urged India to look at how much their security agency knew, engage, and collaborate.
The diplomatic row between the two nations erupted when Trudeau accused India of orchestrating the killing of Nijjar in the province of British Columbia in June 2023. India labelled the claims as ‘absurd’ and suggested that they may have been a part of a broader political move by him.
Tensions escalated when Canada identified India’s High Commissioner and other diplomats as ‘persons of interest’ in the investigation of the Nijjar case.
In response, India summoned Charge d’Affairs Stewart Wheeler and expelled six Canadian diplomats.
The ‘baseless targeting’ by Canada was condemned as unacceptable by the Government of India, which expressed concerns about its diplomats’ safety amid rising extremism.
India also announced High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma’s withdrawal, asserting its right to take further action against what it perceived as Canadian support for extremism.
Since Canada made the initial allegation without clear evidence, the already delicate relations between the two countries became further strained, more so because there was also the issue of Canada permitting pro-Khalistani activities on its soil.
India has consistently criticized Canada for granting space to such elements, accusing them of operating with impunity.
