ANKARA
India and Canada are embroiled in a diplomatic row of rapidly growing proportions.
In tit-for-tat moves, the two countries expelled senior diplomats on Tuesday, a result of escalating tensions over the June 18 murder of a Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said there are “credible allegations” that the Indian government was connected to Nijjar’s assassination in Surrey, British Columbia, a charge rejected by the Indian Foreign Ministry as “absurd and motivated.”
While matters have seemingly come to a head this week, tensions have been steadily brewing between India and Canada for months, primarily over the Sikh independence, or Khalistan, movement.
Nijjar was a vocal supporter of the movement, which was launched by a part of India’s Sikh community in the late 1970s, triggering a wave of deadly violence that claimed thousands of lives in the state of Punjab, where Sikhs are in the majority.
The Indian government had repeatedly labelled Nijjar a terrorist, a charge his supporters denied.
In 2020, the government declared Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, reportedly a key member of a group called Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), as “designated terrorists,” along with seven other individuals.
While Sikh secessionism has largely died down in India, pro-Khalistan groups have remained active internationally.
Despite the persisting tensions over the course of the past year, India and Canada continued their routine diplomatic engagements, including bilateral trips by top officials.
Here is a timeline of major events that have culminated in the current crisis:
September 2022
Sept. 15: In a statement on X, then known as Twitter, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa condemned the “defacing of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto with anti-India graffiti.”
“Have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators,” it added.
Sept. 20: The Indian Foreign Ministry issued an advisory for Indian nationals and students, warning of a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities in Canada.
“The Ministry of External Affairs and our high commission/consulates general in Canada have taken up these incidents with the Canadian authorities and requested them to investigate the said crimes and take appropriate action,” read the statement.
“The perpetrators of these crimes have not been brought to justice so far in Canada.”
March 2023
March 23: In response to a question from Indian-Canadian lawmaker Iqwinder Gaheer, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the government was “aware of the evolving situation in Punjab,” referring to the massive manhunt for fugitive Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh, who had renewed calls for an independent Sikh homeland and was on the run for over a month.
“We are following it very closely. We look forward to a return to a more stable situation,” she said.
The statement came after hundreds of people gathered outside the Indian Consulate in Vancouver to protest New Delhi’s actions in the hunt for Singh, which included an internet shutdown in Punjab.
The operation sparked pro-Khalistan protests at Indian diplomatic missions in several countries, including the US, UK and Canada.
March 25: India summoned Canada’s high commissioner to “convey strong concern” about the actions of “separatist and extremist elements against our diplomatic mission and consulates in Canada.”
“The government of India sought an explanation on how such elements were allowed, in the presence of police, to breach the security of our diplomatic mission and consulates,” an Indian Foreign Ministry statement said.
June
June 5: Jody Thomas, Canada’s national security adviser, said India was among the top sources of “foreign interference” in the country.
June 8: India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar criticized Canada for allowing a float in a parade in Brampton depicting the 1984 assassination of ex-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Responding the same day, Canada’s High Commissioner to India Cameron MacKay wrote on X: “I am appalled by reports of an event in Canada that celebrated the assassination of late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. There is no place in Canada for hate or for the glorification of violence. I categorically condemn these activities.”
June 10: Indian English daily Hindustan Times quoted a statement released from the office of Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, saying: “Police have looked at the video and it’s their determination it does not constitute a hate crime.”
June 18: Nijjar was shot dead in front of a Sikh temple in the city of Surrey.
June 29: Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar, while responding to a question about the Khalistan issue, said the Canadian government’s handling of the matter appeared to be constrained by its “vote bank compulsion.”
He said India would have to respond if the activities threaten its national security and integrity.
July
July 4: India summoned the Canadian high commissioner over activities by pro-Khalistan supporters in Canada. The step was taken after a poster surfaced in which Indian diplomats based in Canada were targeted.
Canadian Foreign Minister Joly posted a statement on X, saying Ottawa “takes its obligations under the Vienna Conventions regarding the safety of diplomats very seriously.”
“Canada remains in close contact with Indian officials in light of some of the promotional material circulating online regarding a protest planned for July 8th, which are unacceptable,” she said.
July 6: Indian Foreign Ministry said the issue of threats to diplomats “has been strongly taken up with the Canadian authorities, both in New Delhi and in Ottawa.”
“We have called on the government of Canada to take all steps to ensure the safety of our diplomats and security of our diplomatic missions in Canada,” spokesman Arindam Bagchi said at a briefing.
“It is a matter of concern that freedom of expression and speech is once again being misused by anti-India elements based in Canada and elsewhere. And we continue to press the Canadian side to ensure that our diplomats can carry out their normal functions without fear or intimidation.”
July 6: Prime Minister Trudeau rejected allegations that his government’s soft stance on the issue was because he relies on votes from the community.
“Canada has always taken extremely seriously violence and threats of violence. We have always taken serious action against terrorism and we always will,” he said, in response to a question.
“We have an extremely diverse country and freedom of expression is something we have.”
September
Sept. 10: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Trudeau held a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in New Delhi.
“He (Modi) conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said.
“The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats.”
Talking about extremism and “foreign interference” in Canada, Trudeau told reporters in New Delhi that “both the issues came up” in their discussions.
“Over the years, with Premier Modi, we have had many conversations on both of those issues,” he said.
“Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest, and it is extremely important to us. At the same time, we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred.”
Sept. 14: Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told Indian news website Firstpost that both countries remain on good terms, but trade dialogue between them has been “paused to make sure that geopolitically and economically, we are all on the same page.”
A Canadian delegation was due to travel to India on Oct. 9 for talks, which International Trade Minister Mary Ng had said were important in Canada’s strategy to expand trade in the region.
However, a message was posted on the Canadian government’s trade website last week, saying the “event is postponed.”
Sept. 19: In a speech in the House of Commons, Trudeau said there are “credible allegations” that the Indian government was behind Nijjar’s assassination.
Foreign Minister Joly separately announced that Canada had expelled a “top Indian diplomat” and expects India’s full collaboration “to get to the bottom of this.”
On the same day, India rejected the allegations as “absurd and motivated” and said it has also asked a senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country within five days.
Sept. 20: New Delhi issued a fresh advisory for Indian nationals and students in Canada over “politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada.”
“In view of growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals there and those contemplating travel are urged to exercise utmost caution,” read the statement.
