In a swift and significant diplomatic move, India has ordered the departure of a senior Canadian diplomat within five days. This decision comes shortly after Ottawa expelled an Indian diplomat, marking a notable escalation in an ongoing dispute centered around the killing of a Sikh separatist earlier this year.
New Delhi’s action reflects growing concerns about Canadian diplomats’ interference in India’s internal matters and their alleged involvement in anti-India activities, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in an official release on a Tuesday morning.
The exchange of expulsions is indicative of the increasingly strained relations between Canada and India. Trade negotiations have been derailed, and Canada has recently cancelled a planned trade mission to India for later this year.
It looks, relations have nosedived
Sharing his views with Financial Express Online, former faculty, Prof of Canadian Studies at JNU, Abdul Nafey, says: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau had a tense meeting on the sidelines of the recently concluded G20 summit in New Delhi. India’s MEA issued an unusually stern statement; the Canadian statement was equally strongly-worded. India accuses Canada of inaction on the “continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements” in Canada – sacrilege of places of worship, harassment of Indian diplomats and officials, and including defacing a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Toronto with pro-Khalistan graffiti. Canada on its part blames India for interference in Canadian domestic affairs and argues that it upholds the right to freedom and freedom of conscience of its people.”
Three Khalistani separatists, who were on India’s most wanted list, have died in recent months in three countries. Khalistan Tiger Force is a terrorist organization, its chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot in Toronto. “Khalistan separatists raise an accusing finger towards Indian intelligence for this. This has become perhaps the latest reason for worsening in bilateral relations,” Prof Nafey, who launched the Canadian Studies in school of International Studies in JNU opines.
What is Ottawa claiming?
Ottawa’s stance on this matter has been quite assertive. On Monday, they stated that they were “actively pursuing credible allegations” that linked Indian government agents to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. At the time of his death, Nijjar was reportedly organizing an unofficial referendum in India, advocating for an independent Sikh nation.
India has vehemently dismissed these allegations by Canada, referring to them as “absurd and motivated.” And has urged Canada to instead take legal action against anti-Indian elements that are operating from its soil.
The Sikh independence movement, commonly referred to as the Khalistan movement, is banned in India, with officials viewing it and affiliated groups as a national security threat.
Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)
“This is an extremist group banned in India, is organizing referendums on Khalistan in various cities of Canada and in other countries, asking whether they want the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab to become an independent nation. It’s going on for years which has riled the Indian government,” says Prof Nafay.
What did the Canadian PM say?
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the Canadian Parliament on Monday and disclosed that he had raised Nijjar’s killing with Prime Minister Modi during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in New Delhi the previous week. He emphasized that any Indian government involvement in the killing would be considered unacceptable and called for cooperation in the investigation.
In response, the MEA released a statement on Tuesday, dismissing the allegations and asserting that Trudeau had made similar accusations to Modi. The statement argued, “Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” referring to the proposed autonomous Sikh homeland.
Canada suspends FTA Talks
Just a few days back, Canada in a further action suspended negotiations for a free trade agreement with India.
Indian Diaspora in Canada
Indian immigration to Canada is now massive. Forbes magazine describes it like a “refugee situation”. “Canada admitted more than 1.28 lakh Indians in 2021; and, almost the same number in 2022. The number would be higher in 2023 and increase further over the next two years. Majority of Indian immigrants are from Punjab. One doesn’t know why; but immigration from Punjab has increased in the past two years. One view is that agriculture has a bleak prospect in Punjab,” states Prof Nafay.
About half-a-million Sikhs make up 1.4% of the Canadian population
It’s important to note that Canada has a Sikh population of more than 770,000. This demographic factor adds complexity to the diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Vote Bank Politics
Recently, External affairs minister S Jaishankar has spoken about the ‘vote bank’ politics. According to Prof Nafay, “Sikh immigrants in Canada are heavily concentrated in some 25 parliamentary constituencies spread in metropolitan Toronto and Vancouver. As of the 2021 Census, more than half Canada’s Sikh population lived in four major cities – Brampton (163,261), Surrey (154,415), Calgary (49,465), and Edmonton (41,385). With rising immigration, their political heft is bound to rise. Liberals had wrested some 20 of these 25 seats from the Conservatives in 2015. Liberals had won 19 of these parliamentary seats in 2019 and again in 2021.”
Adding, “Justin Trudeau is heading a ‘minority’ government after the elections of 2019 and 2021. Retaining these 19 parliamentary seats is crucial in as much as the support of the New Development Party. Bilateral relations had begun worsening after Trudeau became prime minister in 2015. Liberal sources had alleged India of having sympathy for the Conservative.”
Canada is a one-and-a-half party system
“Liberals dominate its politics; progressive conservatives mostly run a distant second. The third, New Development Party has a Centre-left orientation; its leader Jagmeet Singh has in the past called for the right to self-determination for the Sikhs. He has blamed the Indian government for a ‘genocidal campaign’ against the Sikhs. He is the ‘king maker’ after the 2019 election keeping Trudeau in power,” he adds.