The Real Reason Behind India And Canada's Failing Diplomatic Ties

The simmering year-long tension between India and Canada over the killing of Sikh Separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia came to a head with accusations flying thick and fast between the two governments. Since last year, Canada has charged that it had “credible” evidence that Indian agents were behind the killing of a Canadian citizen. India has denied the charges and the MEA has said they were “preposterous”.

Never before – not even during the 1985 Air India bombing allegedly by Khalistan activists that killed 329 people on board – have the relations reached such a low point. At that time it was said that the Canadians had information of an alleged sabotage but had not bothered to follow up and warn New Delhi.

The “recall” of India’s high commissioner Sanjay Verma from Ottawa together with five other diplomats, has led to New Delhi expelling Canada’s acting high commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, and five others. What is more, Canada claimed it had “expelled” the six Indians before New Delhi recalled them. At the end of the day, it does not matter who did what, the fact is that both countries have once again done a second bout of tit-for-tat expulsions. The first was last year when New Delhi asked Ottawa to reduce nearly two-thirds of its huge staff in India.

India has dismissed the Canadian charges and believes that much of this has to do with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s domestic political agenda. “The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centred around vote bank politics,” the MEA said on Monday.

It is a fact that Canada has a huge Sikh diaspora and many of them are supporters of Trudeau’s Liberal Party. Canada is slated to hold parliamentary elections in a year from now and Trudeau’s popularity is at an all-time low. In fact, according to reports in Canadian newspapers, party members are asking him not to contest the elections as chances of a win are bleak. Trudeau‘s Liberal party lost two crucial by-elections in Toronto and Montreal, which are traditionally a Liberal stronghold. But the Prime Minister is adamant that he functions best under pressure and will buck the trend. India believes that Trudeau’s accusations stem from his desire to play to his support base among Canadian Sikhs. 

Trudeau used strong words against India, saying at a Monday presser that, “The Government of India made a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians.” He added, ”We will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil, a deeply unacceptable violation of Canada’s sovereignty and international law.”

However, Canada is not the only country accusing the Indian government. The US and Australia have also done so. Islamabad too has alleged that India was behind the killing of some former Khalistan activists inside Pakistan.

A case is under investigation in the US for an attempted plot to bump off Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, leader of the Sikhs for Justice, a pro-Khalistan forum. Pannun is designated a terrorist by India. Indian national Nikhil Gupta is under investigation for an attempted foiled plot to kill Pannun. Gupta was arrested in June 2023 from the Czech Republic and extradited to the US. He is now standing trial.

The US raised the issue with the Indian government last year. New Delhi did not react as it did to Trudeau’s allegations. India instead said it would investigate the matter. The US had shared the evidence with Indian officials. An Indian team will be in the US this week to talk to their American counterparts on the subject.

Australia had quietly expelled two Indian spies in 2020. Nothing appeared in public until 2024 when it was revealed that those expelled were from India. When in 2021, Australia’s Spy chief said that there were a “nest of spies” operating in the country, people assumed they were possibly Chinese or Russian. However, as Australia was discreet and made no noise about the incident, it made little impact on bilateral ties.

The Australians may not have gone public about Indian spying, but are bound to have shared inputs with the Five Eyes – the intelligence-sharing network of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The murky details of the killings will naturally be shared by Canada with its intelligent partners. “The new allegations lead to mounting concerns among Western security officials and human rights organisations that the Modi government has become one of the world’s most aggressive practitioners of transnational repression, or the use of violence and other means to neutralize perceived homegrown adversaries who have sought refuge in other countries,” read a report in The Washington Post on the India-Canada tussle.

Khalistan row

The Khalistan issue has time and again marred India’s relations with Canada, though never to this extent. The root of the problem lies in domestic politics and the Sikh bid to create an independent Khalistan or the land of the pure. That desire has been there since independence in 1947 when the Sikhs of Punjab found that their homeland was being divided between Hindus and Muslims-India and Pakistan. 

There was resentment among a small section but it was not a major issue. Sikh minorities of India have always integrated well and been successful in every walk of life. But the situation changed gradually after the Congress government of Indira Gandhi decided to back Bhrindanwale – a small-time preacher from rural Punjab at the time – as a counter to Akali Dal, the regional party of the state. However, things did not go according to plans for Sanjay Gandhi, the PM’s powerful son and rising star of the Congress. The rest is well known as the Khalistan movement for a separate homeland led to violence from both the Khalistan supporters as well as the state. 

The late 1970’s and 80’s saw much bloodletting in Punjab. Bhindranwale, a leading figure of the Khalistan movement, took refuge in the Golden Temple, and Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards and the Delhi riots of 1984 followed. The 1985 Punjab Accord ultimately put an end to the violence. 

Over the years, the Khalistan issue has found little traction among Sikhs in India. Yet, the idea of Khalistan lives outside the country and is being championed by some Sikhs living in Canada, the US, Australia and the UK. Many Sikhs in Canada who support Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, also dream of Khalistan.

For a large number of Canadian Sikhs social life revolves around the Gurudwaras. These are mainly rural folks, cut off from the reality of life in Punjab but with deep roots to their ancestral homes. It is easy to persuade them to believe that a state founded on the precepts of their religion can be a reality. They get emotional whenever they perceive a wrong, real or imagined, being perpetrated on Sikhs living in India. 

The farmers' agitation resonated among Sikhs in the Gurudwaras of Canada and the US. Donations were generous and money flowed in from the Sikh diaspora during the farmers' protest. Khalistan activists found this a perfect opportunity to revive an almost forgotten idea. They made an impact by organising protests across Indian missions, calling for a referendum on Khalistan and allegedly threatening Indian diplomats. This was particularly pronounced in Canada under the Trudeau government.

During the farmers' agitation, the government and many BJP leaders often castigated the protestors as Khalistan supporters. During the last Punjab assembly elections, the BJP often accused the Aam Admi Party (AAP) of also giving party tickets to candidates with Khalistan links. The Indian government has time and again accused Canada of harbouring terrorists and Justin Trudeau has been at the receiving end of India’s ire.

Will the situation become worse before it gets better? We have to wait and watch.