India-Canada ties in turmoil as rift grows
NEW DELHI : Bilateral ties between India and Canada hang in the balance after India on Tuesday dismissed as “absurd and motivated" Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim of a “potential link" between Indian government agents and the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, and the two countries carried out tit-for-tat expulsions of senior diplomats. Trudeau’s claim will further damage bilateral relations, which are already at an all-time low over the activities of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada, including holding a so-called referendum on a separate homeland for Sikhs, targeting of Indian diplomatic premises, and incitement of violence against top Indian officials.
The troubled bilateral ties have also affected negotiations on a free trade agreement, with officials from both sides saying the talks have been paused. Two-way trade in goods in 2022 was worth US$10.5 billion.
On Monday, Trudeau told Canada’s House of Commons that the country’s security agencies “have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar." “The protection of our citizens and defence of our sovereignty are fundamental," he said. Soon after Trudeau made the claim in Canada’s Parliament, foreign minister Mélanie Joly announced the expulsion of a “top Indian diplomat." Joly's office identified the diplomat as Pavan Kumar Rai, the head of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Canada, according to public broadcaster CBC.
While it is not unusual for countries to expel operatives of a foreign intelligence agency, it is rare for them to identify the expelled official. Hours later, Canadian envoy Cameron
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