India has mandated the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats and has recalled its own envoy from Canada, responding to what it claims is Canada’s decision to identify him and others as “persons of interest” in an investigation.
While India did not elaborate on the specifics of the investigation, the relationship between the two nations has been strained since 2023, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asserted he possessed evidence linking Indian agents to the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader within Canada.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 last year.
India has consistently refuted Mr. Trudeau’s allegations and dismissed Canada’s actions regarding the inquiry, accusing the Canadian Prime Minister of advancing a “political agenda.”
Subsequently, India announced it had requested the six Canadian diplomats to depart by Saturday.
Moreover, it indicated that Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler had been summoned to express its discontent.
The Canadian government has not publicly confirmed having identified any Indian official as a person of interest.
Mr. Wheeler reiterated Mr. Trudeau’s claims, stating: “Canada has provided credible, irrefutable evidence of connections between agents of the Government of India and the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.”
“It is now time for India to adhere to its commitments and investigate these allegations.”
India has consistently asserted that Canada has failed to present any evidence substantiating its claims.
“This recent action follows exchanges that have once again revealed assertions made without facts. This leaves little doubt that under the guise of an investigation, there exists a deliberate strategy to tarnish India’s reputation for political advantage,” noted India’s foreign ministry earlier.
In October 2023, Canada withdrew over 40 diplomats from India after New Delhi requested Ottawa to minimize its diplomatic footprint.
In June, a committee of Canadian parliamentarians identified India and China as primary foreign threats to its democratic institutions, based on insights from intelligence agencies.
The US has also claimed Indian agents were involved in an attempted assassination plot against another Sikh separatist leader in New York in 2023, stating that it had indicted an Indian national acting on behalf of an unnamed official from the Indian government.
India voiced its concern after the US brought up the issue, dissociating itself from the plot, and has initiated its own investigation.
These allegations regarding assassination plots against Sikh separatist leaders in Canada and the US have strained their relationship with India as both nations seek to strengthen ties with the country in countering China’s escalating global influence.
