mumbai taz | It’s déjà vu: India and Canada expelled each other’s diplomats a year ago. At the time, bilateral relations sank to a low point after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was “credible evidence” of Indian involvement in the June 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Canadian citizen of Indian descent who campaigned for an independent Sikh state in India was shot dead in British Columbia. India then asked Canada to withdraw 62 diplomats from the South Asian country.
On Monday the conflict entered the next round: six diplomats, including the ambassadors, were expelled from the respective country.
The trigger is once again serious allegations from Ottawa: According to Canada’s police chief Mike Duheme, there is evidence of the Indian government’s involvement in cases of “intimidation, harassment, blackmail and coercion” against Sikh supporters.
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India’s government “made a fundamental mistake in believing it could support criminal activity against Canadians here on Canadian soil, whether murders, extortion or other acts of violence,” Prime Minister Trudeau said.
Canada stresses that it respects India’s territorial integrity but expects the same from India. However, Delhi’s activities threatened Canada’s public safety. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Delhi had not been cooperative. That is why it was decided to expel diplomats who were involved in illegal activities.
These in turn are said to be in connection with the “Lawrence Bishnoi Gang”, an Indian criminal gang that is said to be involved in the murder of Nijjar. Bishnoi had previously publicly declared himself an opponent of Khalistan. An attitude that many people in India share.
The Canadian allegations caused outrage in India. The Foreign Ministry sharply rejected it as absurd. The allegations are part of the Trudeau government’s political agenda, which is primarily aimed at attracting votes. Trudeau’s hostility towards India has long been known. The real problem is Canada’s tolerance towards pro-Khalistan activists who can operate freely there.
“It is an ambush by Americans and Canadians,” the newspaper quotes Indian Express a high-ranking source. Canada is also increasingly perceived negatively by the Indian public.
Nevertheless, relations between India and Canada have remained close so far. In 2023, bilateral trade was $7.65 billion. Around 40 percent of international students in Canada come from India. There is also an Indian diaspora of 1.8 million people in the country, including almost 800,000 Sikhs, who have their largest community outside of India. But sanctions do not seem to be ruled out.
