A banner with the image of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

India on June 21 was critical of the Canadian parliament observing “one minute silence” in the memory of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia, in June last year.

“We naturally oppose any moves giving political space to extremism and advocacy of violence,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

In an unusual move, the Canadian parliament observed “one minute silence” two days ago in memory of Nijjar.

The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing.

New Delhi rejected Mr. Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra last week said India’s main issue with Canada continues to be the political space that Ottawa provides to anti-India elements which advocate extremism and violence.

India has repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” to Canada and New Delhi expects Ottawa to take strong action against those elements, he said.

Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in British Columbia on June 18 last year.

The murder is being probed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Outreach Summit, in Apulia on Friday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Amidst severe strain in bilateral ties, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on June 15 that there was a commitment to work together with India to deal with some “very important issues” after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

PM Modi had posted an image on social media of the two leaders shaking hands on June 14, with a one-liner saying “met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit”.

The meeting which took place on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia, southern Italy, is the first amid strained diplomatic relations over pro-Khalistani extremism after Mr. Trudeau alleged that Canadian authorities are “actively pursuing credible allegations” related to Indian Government involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist.

The Canadian allegations from last year were strongly rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as “absurd and motivated”.

“I’m not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues,” Mr. Trudeau  told reporters at a press conference in Savelletri Di Fasano in Italy on June 15, the concluding day of the three-day G7 Summit.

The last meeting between the two leaders happened on the sidelines of the G20 Summit hosted by India in September.

Soon after the meeting on June 14 evening, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said the leaders had a “brief discussion on the bilateral relationship”, during which Mr. Trudeau  also congratulated PM Modi on his re-election.

“Of course, there are important issues between our two countries right now. You can appreciate that we won’t be making any further statements at this time,” spokesperson Ann-Clara Vaillancourt was quoted by the Canadian Press news agency as saying.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

India has repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” to Canada and New Delhi expects Ottawa to take strong action against those elements.

Nijjar’s murder is being probed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Four Indian nationals have been arrested in this connection by the RCMP.

PM Modi’s meeting with Mr. Trudeau came at the end of a packed day of bilateral meetings for the Prime Minister, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — the host of the summit. He also had discussions with other world leaders gathered for the summit, including with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Prime Minister Modi joined leaders of Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to address the Outreach session on Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa and the Mediterranean, along with Pope Francis, on the invitation of Meloni.

Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma. Photo: www.hciottawa.gov.in

Amidst the diplomatic strain in India-Canada relations, India’s envoy here has warned that the Sikh separatist groups in Canada were crossing “a big red line” that New Delhi sees as a matter of national security and of the country’s territorial integrity.

Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma said this on May 7 in his first public remarks since three Indian nationals accused of killing Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year were arrested and produced before a court by Canadian police.

Mr. Verma seemed to link the case to domestic crime, CTV News reported.

He also warned that Sikh groups in Canada who call for the separation of their homeland from India are crossing “a big red line” that New Delhi sees as a matter of national security.

“Indians will decide the fate of India, not the foreigners,” Mr. Verma told the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent think-tank.

He also told the Council that relations between India and Canada are positive overall despite “a lot of noise”.

Mr. Verma also said that the two countries are “trying to resolve this issue”. “We are ready to sit down at the table any day, and we are doing that,” he said.

Mr. Verma said the deeper problems underneath the recent “negative” developments have to do with Canada’s misunderstanding of “decades-old issues,” which he blames Canadians of Indian origin for resurfacing.

He said his chief concern is “national-security threats emanating from the land of Canada”, noting that India does not recognise dual nationality, so anyone who emigrates is considered a foreigner.

“Foreigners having, if I can call it, [an] evil eye on the territorial integrity of India — that is a big red line for us,” he said.

He did not specify whether he was referring to foreigners being involved in the Nijjar case or the issue of Sikh separatism more broadly, the report said.

On May 7, India told Canada that celebration and glorification of violence should not be a part of any civilised society. Democratic countries which respect the rule of law should not allow intimidation by radical elements in the name of freedom of expression.

“We continue to remain concerned about the security of our diplomatic representatives in Canada and expect the Government of Canada to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement in response to the violent imagery being used by extremist elements in Canada against India’s political leadership.

“We again call upon the Government of Canada to stop providing criminal and secessionist elements a safe haven and political space in Canada,” the MEA spokesperson said in New Delhi.

Earlier on May 7, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stood by allegations that the Indian government was complicit in the slaying of Nijjar last year.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.

The killing sparked a wave of protests, with some Sikh groups circulating posters that threatened Indian diplomats in Canada by name.

Ms. Joly said her goal is still to conduct diplomacy with India in private.

She said she would let the police investigate instead of providing any new commentary on the case.

“We stand by the allegations that a Canadian was killed on Canadian soil by Indian agents,” Ms. Joly said on Parliament Hill.

“The investigation by the RCMP is being done. I won’t further comment and no other officials from our government will further comment,” she said, referring to the ongoing probe by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Meanwhile, Mr. Verma also mentioned “so many positive things” happening in the relationship between India and Canada.

He noted the annual value of two-way trade is 26 billion Canadian dollars, and in the past 11 months, there has been a 75% jump in Canadian lentil exports and a 21% increase in Indian-prepared medicines reaching Canada.

On May 7, the group Sikhs for Justice called for Mr. Verma’s speech to be cancelled, citing the Nijjar case and allegations of foreign interference by India.

A view of the High Commission of India, in Ottawa, Canada.
| Photo Credit: AP

Canada has welcomed India’s decision to resume some visa services in the country from October 26, saying the move was a “good sign” after “an anxious time” for many Canadians, amid a diplomatic row over the killing of a Sikh separatist.

India’s High Commission in Canada said on October 25 that the country’s officials will resume processing some types of visa applications for Canadians applying from across the country as well as abroad.

Also read | An India-Canada bonding that is in danger of snapping

The decision came a month after New Delhi suspended the services in Canada and for Canadian citizens worldwide as tensions flared between the two nations last month following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India has rejected Mr. Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

On Wednesday afternoon, Immigration Minister Marc Miller called India’s move “a good sign” after “an anxious time” for his many Canadians.

“Our feeling is that a suspension should never have happened in the first place,” he was quoted as saying by CTV News.

He said the “really concerning diplomatic situation with India has created a lot of fear in a lot of communities.” Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan, who is also a Sikh, said the resumption of visa processing is good news, but wouldn’t speculate on what message New Delhi is trying to send.

“It’s good to see that they have resumed that. It would have been nice (if) they didn’t take it in the first place,” Mr. Sajjan told reporters.

He said it was important that Indians and Canadians can go back and forth when it comes to events such as weddings and funerals. He added that Ottawa is still seeking India’s help as police investigate the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India will resume services for entry visas, business visas, medical visas and conference visas.

Marilyne Guevremont, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada (GAC) – the department that manages the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, told CBC News that GAC is aware of the Indian government’s “decision to resume certain categories of visa processing for Canadians.” “Canada and India share important people-to-people ties and India’s resumption of visa services will make it easier for families and businesses to travel between our countries,” Ms. Guevremont.

In a statement, the Canada-India Business Council said it was “a promising development” for trade relations. “It is also a positive sign that both governments have expressed their support for bilateral business and investments amidst these unusual times,” wrote council head Victor Thomas. The development came days after Canada pulled out 41 of its diplomats from India.

Before Mr. Trudeau’s announcement dramatically heightened tensions between Canada and India, New Delhi had publicly denounced protests by Sikh separatist groups outside its diplomatic missions in Canada, as well as posters that appeared to offer cash rewards in exchange for the home addresses of Indian diplomats. India formally called on Canada to better uphold its duty to protect foreign diplomats.

India had also asked Canada to come down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.

The U.K. and the U.S. have expressed concerns over the departure of 41 Canadian diplomats from India.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

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Akhilesh Yadav moderates attack on Congress; invokes Lohia and Mulayam

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High Commission of Canada in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Canada said Thursday it had withdrawn 41 diplomats from India – fallout from a bitter row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

New Delhi planned to revoke diplomatic immunity for all but 21 of Canada’s diplomats and their families by Friday, forcing Ottawa to pull out the others, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said.

“We have facilitated their safe departure from India,” Ms. Joly added. “This means that our diplomats and their families have now left.”

Relations between India and Canada have plunged since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month publicly linked Indian intelligence to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which New Delhi has denied.

Nijjar, who advocated for a separate Sikh state carved out of India, was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.

“Revoking the diplomatic immunity of 41 diplomats is not only unprecedented, but also contrary to international law,” Ms. Joly said Wednesday, but said Canada did not plan to retaliate in kind, so as to not “aggravate the situation.”

“Canada will continue to defend international law, which applies to all nations and will continue to engage with India,” she said.

“Now more than ever we need diplomats on the ground and we need to talk to one another,” Ms. Joly added.

Countermeasures

Canada has called for India to cooperate in the investigation but New Delhi has rejected the allegations and taken countermeasures, such as shutting down visa services for Canadians.

Ottawa also expelled an Indian diplomat over the affair.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said last month in New York that his country would be willing to examine any evidence presented by Canada.

“We have actually been badgering the Canadians. We’ve given them loads of information about organized crime leadership which operates out of Canada,” Mr. Jaishankar said, referring to Sikh separatists.

“We have a situation where actually our diplomats are threatened, our consulates have been attacked and often comments are made (that are) interference in our politics,” he said.

The Indian government has called the Canadian accusations over the killing “absurd” and advised its nationals not to travel to certain Canadian regions “given the increase in anti-Indian activities.”

Also read | Indian students in Canada worried about lack of job opportunities

New Delhi also temporarily stopped processing visa applications in Canada.

Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a Canadian citizen in 2015, was shot dead by two masked assailants in the parking lot of a Sikh temple near Vancouver in June.

Canada is home to some 770,000 Sikhs, who make up about two percent of the country’s population, with a vocal group calling for creating a separate state of Khalistan.

The Sikh separatist movement is largely finished within India, where security forces used deadly force to put down an insurgency in the state of Punjab in the 1980s.

Hundreds of Sikh protesters rallied outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada last month, burning flags and trampling on pictures of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi have created a delicate situation for close Canadian ally Washington, which has in recent months taken steps to move closer to India as the United States seeks to limit Chinese influence in the region.

As India-Canada relations strained in the wake of allegations by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau against India, there is another major problem that is plaguing Indian students here – lack of job opportunities.

In 2022, a total of 226,450 Indian students arrived in Canada to pursue higher education, making India the top source country of new international students entering the North American nation last year, data suggests.

According to the global education search platform Erudera, the total number of international students in all education levels in Canada is 807,750, including higher education. Of this, 551,405 received a study permit in Canada last year.

Erudera data said that India has the most study permit holders in 2022 in Canada, with 226,450 students.

“I am not thinking about the India-Canada rift so much. I am more worried and concerned about my future. There is a huge dearth of jobs here, and I don’t know whether I will be able to secure work once I complete my studies,” Harwinder (name changed on request to protect his privacy), told PTI in Toronto.

Several Indian students around the Greater Toronto area echoed a similar sentiment.

Mayank (who did not wish to disclose his last name) is pursuing a course in health services at an institute in the Greater Toronto area.

He said while he and his friends have not experienced any difficulties in the aftermath of the diplomatic standoff between Delhi and Ottawa, what is giving him sleepless nights is the thought of not finding work once he finishes his studies in Toronto.

“I know of several Indian students with medical degrees here who have been unable to find decent-paying jobs and are driving cabs and working in stores, and restaurants to pay bills. It is a very challenging situation for us,” he said.

The high cost of living in and around Toronto and other Canadian cities is also hurting students here, who are compelled to live in cramped rooms to save on rent and other utilities.

“We had come with the hope that once we complete our education here, we will be able to secure well-paying jobs and help our parents and families back home in India. But there are no jobs; the cost of living, healthcare is back-breaking and we are struggling to make ends meet,” another Indian student from Haryana, who did not wish to be named, said.

India and Canada are embroiled in a diplomatic standoff following allegations by Mr. Trudeau in the Canadian Parliament last month.

He claimed that “Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing” of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil on June 18 in British Columbia, a charge angrily rejected by New Delhi as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Deeply committed to supporting your wellbeing: Toronto university seeks to reassure international students 

A leading university in Toronto has sought to reassure the student community and underscored its commitment to supporting its wellbeing, while noting that India’s suspension of visa processing will hinder face-to-face connection.

“We know that many members of the University of Toronto community are watching relations between the governments of Canada and India with concern. The situation is evolving rapidly, causing uncertainty and stress, and we do not yet have answers to many of the pressing questions it raises,” Vice-President International, University of Toronto, Professor Joseph Wong told PTI in a statement in Toronto.

Mr. Wong said that the University of Toronto is “proud to be home to more than 2,400 international students from India who enrich our classrooms and campus life”, and many more students, faculty, staff, librarians and alumni with ties to India.

“We want to assure all impacted members of our community – and in particular international students – that you are welcome here and we are deeply committed to supporting your wellbeing,” he said.

Mr. Wong added that the University is committed to its “longstanding partnerships” in India that support academic collaborations in a wide range of areas and provide invaluable global learning opportunities for its students.

Escalating diplomatic row

Earlier last week, India asked Canada to withdraw several dozen diplomats from its missions amid the escalating diplomatic row that erupted following Mr. Trudeau’s allegation.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has said discussions on the modalities to arrive at mutual diplomatic presence are going on and gave a clear indication that India will not review its position on the issue.

According to ICEF Monitor, a market intelligence resource for the global education industry, there were 320,000 Indian students with active study permits at the end of December 2022, a growth of 47% over the previous year.

“Indian students accounted for nearly four out of every ten foreign students in Canada as of the end of 2022,” ICEF Monitor said.

The Indian students described their difficulties as being no different from getting stuck between a rock and a hard place.

They spoke about the hardships their families and parents in India have endured to send them abroad for higher studies.

“Parents have had to sell properties, land, take massive loans to pay for the higher education of their children in Canada,” the students pointed out.

“Our parents have spent a lot to send us to Canada to study. We had hoped that after arriving here, we would not take a single penny from our parents and instead would be able to help our families back home financially. We had hoped to find good jobs that sustain us and also enable us to take care of our families in India. We are not able to do that,” Mayank said.

The FIR filed by the Delhi Police cites tax evasion cases being faced by companies such as Xiaomi and Vivo in India. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

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National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP

The Canadian allegations regarding India’s involvement in the killing of a pro-Khalistan leader are “serious” and need to be investigated fully, the White House has said.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

The claims made by Canada were discussed when visiting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met here last week, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House told reporters at a news conference here.

“The issue was discussed. We’ll certainly leave it to those two countries to talk about their bilateral relationship,” Mr. Kirby said in response to a question.

“We’ve been clear, these allegations are serious, they need to be fully investigated and of course, as we’ve said before, we urge India to participate actively in that investigation,” Mr. Kirby said.

State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a separate news conference that it’s critical that Canada’s investigation proceeds and the perpetrators are brought to justice.

“We also have, as we’ve previously said publicly and privately, urged the Indian government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation and cooperate in those efforts,” he said.

The U.S., he said, has seen the reports on the diplomatic staffing levels for the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi.

“But I don’t have anything further to offer on those reports and certainly don’t want to get into hypotheticals and take this process one step at a time. As it relates to our Indo-Pacific strategy and the focus that we continue to place on the region, that effort and that line of work is going to continue,” he said.

“With India, we are partners with them in the Quad and in many others, and we continue to work with them and other countries in the region on a number of important issues.

“But as I said, we take these allegations very seriously and we continue to not just work closely with our Canadian partners but have publicly and privately urged the Indian government to cooperate with Canada,” Mr. Patel said.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media outside his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada October 3, 2023.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Canada was not looking to “escalate” the situation with India amid the diplomatic row between the two countries over the killing of a Khalistani separatist and asserted that his government will continue to have “constructive relations” with New Delhi.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Mr. Trudeau also said that it’s important for Canada to have diplomats on the ground in India, amid a report by London-based Financial Times that New Delhi wants as many as 41 of 62 remaining Canadian diplomats out of the country, the Toronto Sun newspaper reported.

“Obviously, we’re going through an extremely challenging time with India right now,” Mr. Trudeau was quoted as saying by the Canadian newspaper.

He, however, did not confirm the FT report that India has asked Canada to withdraw 41 of 62 diplomats from the country.

Asked if his government would retaliate by asking India to remove diplomats based in Canada, Mr. Trudeau insisted his government would try to keep working with New Delhi.

“We’re not looking to escalate, as I’ve said, we’re going to be doing the work that matters in continuing to have constructive relations with India through this extremely difficult time,” Mr. Trudeau was quoted as saying by the state-run CBC News.

Tensions flared between India and Canada last month following Mr. Trudeau’s allegations of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India angrily rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Nijjar was shot dead by two masked gunmen. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

Last month, India asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic staff in the country, arguing that there should be parity in strength and rank equivalence in the mutual diplomatic presence. The size of Canadian diplomatic staff in India is larger than what New Delhi has in Canada.

India also asked Canada to come down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told journalists in Washington last week that the governments of India and Canada will have to talk to each other and see how they resolve their differences over the issue and underlined that the larger issue of “permissiveness” must be flagged and addressed.