India-Canada Diplomatic Relations Crumbles Amid Trudeau’s Baseless Accusations

On October 14^th, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including Ambassador Sanjay Kumar Verma, after accusing them of being ” persons of interest” in investigating alleged foreign interference. In response, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and instructed them to leave the country by the 19^th. India’s Ministry of External Affairs also put out a statement directly calling out the political motivation of Justin Trudeau’s government for this action without any credible evidence. The statement put out by the MEA of India is considered the harshest that India has put out throughout diplomatic channels. 

As a result of this fallout, economic, trade and people-to-people relationships between both countries are being severely affected. An example is the Stryker Armoured vehicle that India was to import from Canada, which is stalled and its fate hangs in balance. But how did two countries with an exchange of $8 billion in trade a year before, come to a diplomatic stand-off with each other? Let’s understand.

Timeline of the Diplomatic Tussle

The recent diplomatic stand-off and its causes date back to 2022, to the murder of the 75-year-old, Ripudaman Singh Malik. Malik was a known Khalistani sympathiser who was involved in the 1985 Air India Kaniska Flight bombing. In 2005 he was acquitted by the Canadian administration. Several reports also claim his involvement in organised crime and gang wars on Canadian soil. However, after 2019 he started distancing himself from the Khalistani movement and started prs]asing Indian administration ultimately diluting the Khalistani narrative.

In retaliation to that Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the then head of Khalistani Tiger Force and his associates ran a smear campaign and public threats against Malik. On 14^th July 2022, Malik was gunned down by two individuals outside his business in Surrey, British Columbia. Police investigation indicated the involvement of the opposite gang but couldn’t pinpoint which gang.

Then on 18^th June 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down by unknown individuals making uproar in Khalistani groups. Preliminary investigations indicated the attack was done in retaliation to the murder of Malik the previous year and was carried out by organised crime gangs. However, this death saw massive violent protests against the Indian High Commission in Canada. Open death threats, burning of effigies, and the release of a hit list naming Indian diplomats were seen in Canada by the Khalistani terrorist groups.

In September of that year Canadian PM Trudeau visited India for G20. Indian PM Modi raised the issue of Khalistani organisations and the threats they pose to both India and Canada. Insider sources reveal that Justin Trudeau was not pleased with the way the meeting went as he was unable to achieve his agenda.

In October Canada stalled a trade talk with India. That month Justin Trudeau took to parliament and accused the Indian government and its agency of their alleged involvement in Nijjar murder case based on unverified intelligence and no hard evidence. 

India denied any involvement and demanded Canadian counterparts to produce any credible evidence. It also agreed to cooperate if Canada was able to produce any above evidence.

The death threats to diplomats and attacks on Indian consulates in Canada continued, fuelled by Trudeau’s soft-hand politics for the Khalistanis. New Delhi cancels diplomatic immunity and security protection for 41 Canadian diplomats and their relatives. India informs Canada it must repatriate the diplomats – two-thirds of Ottawa’s diplomatic core in the country – by October 10.

Canada then throughout the year accuse India of foreign interference in Canada. In January 2024, the Canadian Parliament held a one-minute silence in memory of Nijjar. 

October this year Canadian investigation named six Indian diplomats as “persons of interest” in the Najjar Murder case again without any evidence. Later that day it revoked diplomatic visas of those diplomats and expelled them from the country. India soon after recalled the official to its home country.

In retaliation, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and ordered them to vacate the country by the 19^th of October.

The Truth of the Issue

With such serious allegations, it is imperative to understand the truth behind the issue and all the actors involved in it.

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the Chief of the organisation Khalistani Tiger Force, which is a Sikh separatist group operating from Canada. The organisation was involved in organised crimes, drugs and human trafficking all while posing as a political group. It has involvement with Pakistani ISI. Najjar was a designated terrorist by India and Interpol. He was on the no-fly list of the Canadian authorities while alive. Since 1996 he entered Canada illegally three times and on the fourth time he obtained a visa through unfair practices. He was seen practising shooting with terrorist outfits in video footage.

Then why is the Canadian Government picking fights with an ally over such a character?

Throughout the 90s and the 00s, Khalistani sympathisers deeply rooted themselves in Canadian administrative institutions and Canadian Politics in both left and right however majorly left. The New Democratic Party (NDP) is a Sikh majority party that is significant in Canadian politics and holds several Khalistani supporters as members including its leader Jagmeet Singh. When Trudeau came to power in 2015, he was backed by the NDP and in 2021, when Trudeau couldn’t attain a majority the NDP backed the liberal party to form the government. Today those parties hold massive electoral influence over the current liberal government. In September this year, the NDP pulled out its support from the Trudeau government which was a sure death of Trudeau’s political career. The liberal party’s performance in recent provincial elections in Canada was also below the expectation. Thus, to gain political leverage Trudeau administration is acting towards appeasing the Khalistani fraction.

The most important question of all is, is there any concrete proof against India?

In short, the answer is no. The Canadian authorities have no hard evidence of India’s involvement in the Nijjar killing or any other instances of foreign interference in Canada. And this was stated by one and only Justin Trudeau during the Foreign Interference Commission hearing on the issue of Foreign interference in Canada. In the hearing, the Canadian PM admitted that he and his authority had no solid proof of Indian involvement in the Nijjar murder. He only had preliminary intelligence regarding the murder.

Canada’s Conduct Of the Situation

It is clear that Canada’s conduct in this matter is completely unprofessional, amateurish and in violation of diplomatic boundaries and here are some instances that are a reflection of that:

• The PM of Canada stated in the Foreign Interference Commission hearing that he contacted the Indian counterparts based on preliminary intelligence and asked the Indian authority for the evidence if there is any, which could be later used to indict themselves.
• The intelligence in question was also provided by Gurpatwan Singh Pannu, who is a Khalistani extremist. He regularly provokes the Sikh community and openly gives terror threats and death threats against India. So, the credibility of such intelligence is already under question from the beginning.
• The RCMP, Canada’s police agency alleges Goldy Brar a fugitive and criminal, is acting on behalf of Indian agencies. However, he was openly operating in Canada despite the fact that the Indian government flagged the individual as a fugitive. Canada also denied the extradition request of the individual giving asylum to a criminal. Also, despite being a known criminal he was dropped from the wanted list of RCMP.
• Authorities have also named Indian Media companies of foreign interference who are reporting on this issue and showing the facts that are deliberately being suppressed by Canadian state media.

But the primary issue that the Trudeau government was trying to sideline through this whole India debacle was the Chinese interference.

Throughout the years the CCP and its affiliates have successfully infiltrated several crucial institutions in Canada. The affiliates usually establish cash-intensive businesses like Casinos, bars and dance clubs, from which money is laundered and used for several illegal purposes. The infiltration was so deep that China was able to establish secret overseas police stations in Canada and was able to interfere in the Canadian election. However, during the hearing, Justin Trudeau said it was “as part of what diplomats do” about the Chinese interference. On the 28^th of October, there was a release of four names that are linked to foreign interference by China in Canada, out of them three are Members of parliament and one is a federal judge. However, the coverage of the issue is negligible by Canadian State media.

Amidst all this, the Indian Sikh and Hindu diaspora are living in perpetual uncertainty. Genuine students pursuing their studies are at risk of visa disruption. Business and trade exchanges also face an uncertain future that is hanging in the unstable India-Canada relationship.