India Expels Canadian Diplomat in Retaliation for Sikh Leader’s Killing
In a tit-for-tat move, India has expelled a Canadian diplomat after Canadian officials accused Indian government operatives of assassinating a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia. The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, made the shocking allegation during a speech before Parliament on Monday, causing relations between the two nations to plummet. The incident also has broader implications for ties between the U.S.-led alliance and India, which the Biden administration has been actively pursuing as a strategic counterweight to China.
The Canadian diplomat, who was not named in the Indian government’s statement, was described by the Hindustan Times as the Canadian intelligence station chief in New Delhi. In response to Trudeau’s accusation, the Indian Foreign Ministry dismissed it as “absurd and motivated,” further stating that the allegations aimed to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists who continue to threaten India’s sovereignty.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh separatist leader who was gunned down, was designated a terrorist by Indian security agencies in 2020. He was accused of planning attacks in India’s Punjab state, which has a significant Sikh population. The Khalistan movement, of which Nijjar was a part, seeks to establish a separate state in the Punjab region. The movement has supporters within India and among the global Sikh diaspora. During the 1980s and 90s, Punjab witnessed a separatist insurgency that claimed thousands of lives.
Months before Nijjar’s killing, India had been pressuring countries such as Canada, Australia, Britain, and the United States to take action against the pro-Khalistan movement. Protests, sometimes violent, have occurred outside Indian diplomatic missions in London and San Francisco, angering the Indian government. Indian officials claim that pro-Khalistan supporters have also targeted Indian diplomats posted overseas.
Trudeau did not provide specific evidence linking Indian operatives to the assassination but stated that Canada was working with allied nations to investigate the killing. The controversy comes at a sensitive time as Western nations, including the Biden administration, are hoping to strengthen ties with India. Trudeau expressed his concerns about the killing to Indian security and intelligence officials and personally conveyed them to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to India for the Group of 20 summit.
The visit, which was already fraught, included discussions on the Khalistan issue. Modi expressed India’s concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. Trudeau’s stay was extended by a day due to a technical problem with his airplane, according to the Canadian embassy.
Speculation had been circulating among pro-Khalistan sympathizers and Indian nationalists that Nijjar’s killing may have been connected to two other deaths. Paramjit Singh Panjwar, also designated as a terrorist by India, was shot dead in Pakistan. Avtar Singh Khanda, a British-based pro-Khalistan leader, died days before Nijjar’s killing. The Indian government did not comment on these deaths at the time, fueling theories of a state connection.
This incident highlights the complicated issue of Sikh separatism and its impact on international relations. It also puts a strain on relations between India and Canada, with both sides vehemently denying each other’s accusations. The true motivations behind Nijjar’s killing and the extent of any state involvement remain uncertain, but the diplomatic fallout is clear.