The expulsion of an Indian diplomat from its mission in Ottawa on Monday has brought to a head the ongoing feud over Khalistan that has again resurfaced and marred ties between India and Canada. The diplomat was asked to leave on what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said were “credible allegations” that Indian agents were behind the killing of a Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan activist in June. India has rejected such allegations calling them “absurd and motivated”, as well as “unsubstantial” and called out the Trudeau government for “inaction” against Khalistan terror groups. Expectedly, India has ordered a tit-for-tat expulsion of a senior Canadian diplomat from Delhi. The MEA did not say whether the Canadian diplomat was from the intelligence agency.
Will this have an effect on India’s image abroad, because what Prime Minister Trudeau has said is damaging to New Delhi’s reputation. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Trudeau told the House of Commons, according to reports from the Canadian press.