Why Canada and India expelled each other’s top diplomats

OTTAWA - Canada has expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials in relation to an investigation of the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia in 2023, the Foreign Ministry said on Oct 14.

India earlier said it had ordered the expulsion of six top Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler. It added that it had withdrawn its envoy from Canada, contradicting Canada’s statement that it had expelled the envoy.

Relations between the two countries have been fraught since 2023, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had evidence linking Indian agents to the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in his country.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they had significant information on broad criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the government of India and used to target members of the South Asian community in Canada.

June 18, 2023: Mr Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, is shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. He was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India.

Sept 1, 2023: A Canadian trade official says Canada paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India, an unexpected move that came about three months after both countries said they planned to seal an initial pact in 2023.

Sept 10, 2023: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveys strong concerns about Sikh separatist protests in Canada to Prime Minister Trudeau on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in New Delhi.

Sept 18, 2023: Mr Trudeau tells Parliament that Canada was “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to Mr Nijjar’s killing.

Sept 19, 2023: India dismisses Mr Trudeau’s assertion as “absurd”. Each country expels a diplomat in tit-for-tat moves, with Canada throwing out India’s top intelligence officer in the country while India expelled his Canadian counterpart.

Sept 22, 2023: India suspends issuing new visas for Canadians and asks Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in India. India resumes issuing visas two months later.

Oct 19, 2023: Canada has withdrawn 41 diplomats from India amid a dispute over Mr Nijjar’s death, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly says.

Oct 29, 2023: Tens of thousands of Sikhs turn out in Surrey, British Columbia, at the same Sikh temple where Mr Nijjar was killed, to vote in an unofficial referendum on the creation of an independent Sikh state.

Nov 21, 2023: India’s anti-terror agency files a case against Mr Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist, stating that he warned Air India passengers in video messages shared on social media that their lives were in danger.

Nov 22, 2023: A senior Biden administration official says the US authorities thwarted a plot to kill Mr Pannun in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns that the New Delhi government was involved.

Feb 5, 2024: India’s High Commissioner Sanjay Verma says in an interview with Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper that India will not provide information to Canadian investigators over Mr Nijjar’s murder until Canada shares evidence.

April 30, 2024: The White House describes as a serious matter a Washington Post report that an officer in India’s intelligence service was directly involved in both Mr Nijjar’s killing and the foiled plot to kill Mr Pannun in the US.

India’s Foreign Ministry said the report contained “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations”.

May 3, 2024: Canadian police charge three people linked to Mr Nijjar’s murder, a source directly familiar with the matter says.

Aug 27, 2024: Canadian police warn Mr Pannun, who was an aide to Mr Nijjar, of an increased threat to his life, a prominent Sikh separatist says. REUTERS