Despite the acrimonious Trudeau-Modi meeting on the sidelines of the G-20, and the latest allegations by Mr. Trudeau, diplomatic niceties are clearly over, while the FTA talks are put on hold.
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| Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G-20 Summit in New Delhi |
The shocking claim made by Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, that "agents of the Government of India" were responsible for the June murder of Canadian Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar is a low point in their deteriorating relationship. A series of things have happened as a result of Mr. Trudeau's accusation, for which he said that proof had been shared with India and highlighted in a recent bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tuesday saw India summon the Canadian High Commissioner and dismiss Canada's station chief for intelligence after Canada ousted a top Indian diplomat.
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| Hardeep Singh Nizzar |
What was India's response?
The claims surfaced a week after Mr. Trudeau's tense "pull-aside" encounter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was in India for the G-20 summit. Both sides published readouts after the meeting accusing the other of "foreign interference in Canada's affairs" and "providing safe havens to anti-India extremists," but neither had made it known that Nijjar's murder had been brought up. Additionally, it came to light that Canadian National Security Advisor (NSA) Jody Thomas had visited India twice in the previous month to speak with Ajit Doval, the country's NSA, about the subject, despite the fact that the Canadian government had consistently claimed that no "specific evidence" had been presented. The "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance, which consists of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, was reported to have exchanged information with partners before the G-20 summit, and some of its leaders are said to have spoken with Mr. Modi about the matter.
Following Mr. Trudeau's speech in Parliament, India reciprocated by expelling a Canadian diplomat. In response to the claims, the Ministry of External (MEA) Affairs sent a demarche to Cameron McKay, Canada's High Commissioner to India, ordering him to reduce the number of diplomats assigned to his mission since some of them were allegedly meddling in internal Indian affairs.
How did the ‘Five Eyes’ Alliance respond?
As part of the "Five Eyes" intelligence sharing agreement, the United States, Australia, and Canada have all raised "deep concerns" about the situation. While the Canadian government has spoken about the violation of Canadian "sovereignty" and the international rule of law, which could lead to other areas of conflict, the External Affairs Ministry has also accused Canadian diplomats of engaging in "anti-India" activities, suggesting that more diplomats may be under investigation. It is also conceivable that the cold will outlive this government, if voted out in elections scheduled for 2025, given the backing Mr. Trudeau received from his political adversaries in Parliament and remarks critical of India made by figures like Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh.
It is important to keep in mind that Canada is a member of the western NATO alliance and is home to Indians and Canadians of Indian descent, so the effects of the split will be felt more widely than they are in Pakistan, where such accusations, name-calling, and public conflict have become regular.
In such a delicate situation, the first step must be some sombre meditation on the next course of action. The top priority for Mr. Trudeau must be to openly back up his extremely severe accusations or to acknowledge defeat. Numerous incidences, dating from the early 1980s to more recent attacks on Indian embassies and Indian community centres, have already substantiated India's claims that Canada serves as a safe haven for violent, anti-India Khalistani organisations.
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| Khalistan |
The fact that Nijjar, the leader of the "Khalistan Tiger Force," was a citizen of Canada speaks for itself. He was sought in India, suspected of being responsible for terror operations in Punjab in the 1990s, and had an Interpol red corner notice. Additionally, New Delhi needs to decide how it wants to handle its relationship with Canada. The government had lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2015 trip to Canada, the first official visit by an Indian PM to that country since 1973, with the hope that decades of hostility over the Khalistan issue could be put behind it. The Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly visited India and Canada earlier this year, and free trade negotiations were accelerated.
The FTA negotiations have been placed on hold as a result of the tense meeting between Trudeau and Modi that took place outside the G-20 and the most recent claims made by Mr. Trudeau.
