The knives are out between India and Canada as the two countries expelled six diplomats each, India withdrew its high commissioner to Canada and Canadian police revealed details of the alleged link between the “agents” of the Indian government and the assassination of Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India has “strongly” rejected Canada’s latest “diplomatic communication” against an Indian envoy and other diplomats “in a matter related to an investigation in this country.” On Monday, India’s foreign ministry criticized the Canadian government and accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of engaging in “vote bank politics.”

So why did India withdraw its diplomats from Canada? What is this “question” that concerns India? and why did India link this “affair” to Justin Trudeau’s “vote bank politics”? Why have diplomatic relations between India and Canada deteriorated over time? Here is an in-depth look at diplomatic relations between India and Canada:

Diplomatic conflict between India and Canada: how it all started

Diplomatic tension between India and Canada first erupted with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in Parliament in September 2023. Trudeau had revealed that his government was “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking agents of the Indian government to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India had rejected the allegations, calling them “absurd and motivated”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the “unsubstantiated allegations” sought to divert attention from “Khalistan terrorists and extremists who have taken refuge in Canada.”

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?

Najjar was a Khalistan separatist who was shot dead on Canadian soil in June 2023. He was a Canadian citizen but designated a terrorist in India. Nijjar supported the Khalistan movement, banned in India. Khalistan separatists are talking about an unofficial referendum in Khalistan to create a separate Sikh state. Tap here to learn more about him

What happened next?

Shortly after Trudeau’s speech to the Canadian Parliament, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced the expulsion of a “senior Indian diplomat.” Hours later, Canadian envoy Cameron MacKay was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and informed of the government’s decision to expel a top Canadian diplomat.

Meanwhile, India has repeatedly asked the Canadian government for evidence to support its claims about Nijjar’s killing. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had said last year that India was not ruling out an investigation, but had asked Canada to provide evidence to support its allegations about the involvement of Indian government agents in the assassination of a Khalistan separatist in this country.

However, Canada maintained that it had provided evidence to India establishing “links linking agents of the Government of India (GOI) to homicides and acts of violence.”

In June 2024, Trudeau said there was a commitment to working with India to resolve some “very important issues.” He said: “I’m not going to go into detail about this important and sensitive issue that we have to follow, but it was a commitment to work together, in times to come, to address some very important issues.” .

Why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might not condemn Khalistan extremism

Canada is expected to go to elections in 2025. Ahead of the election, Prime Minister Trudeau’s handling of the assassination of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar appears to indicate a subtle dissociation from a right-wing leader in order to propel his static mandate during the year. -year with 31 percent popularity as the best choice for prime ministerial candidate.

Canada is home to the second largest Sikh population in the world, after India. Currently, Canada has a Sikh population of more than 770,000 people, approximately 2% of its total population. Read more details here