Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 16, 2024, 01:00 AM
India-Canada Relations: Relations between Canada and India have reached their worst phase today. India has recently recalled its High Commissioner and several officials, while five Canadian diplomats have been ordered to leave the country by October 19, 2024. However, this situation did not arise suddenly, but there are years of incidents and misunderstandings behind it. The latest incidents have refreshed old wounds, which has further increased the bitterness between the two countries.Now the question arises, why are the relations between Canada and India so tense? Why is Canada not able to maintain cordial relations with India? Let us understand this complex relationship through five major points.1. Operation Blue Star, Indira Gandhi's assassination and Khalistani connectionThe first major sourness in the relations between India and Canada came after Operation Blue Star of 1984 and the assassination of Indira Gandhi. In 1985, 329 people were killed in an explosion on an Air India flight, in which Khalistani terrorists were said to be involved. The Prime Minister of Canada at that time was Pierre Trudeau, the father of Justin Trudeau, and Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India.However, despite the connection of Khalistani terrorists coming to the fore in this major incident, the Canadian government did not take strict action in this matter. Despite the conviction of the main accused Inderjit Singh Reyat, Khalistani activities continued in Canada. This further increased anger in India.2. Khalistani support and policy of blaming IndiaThe support being received by Khalistan supporters on Canadian soil has further increased the tension between the two countries. Khalistani organizations are not only active in Canada, but they have also been getting political and social support. India warned Canada several times to take action against these organizations, but Canada ignored it.After the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023, Indian officials in Canada were blamed for this murder. In this case, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused India, which further deteriorated relations between the two countries.3. Vote politics and anti-India statementsSupport to pro-Khalistani groups in Canada is also linked to the vote bank politics of the leaders there. The Canadian government has been getting the support of the Sikh community due to rhetoric against India and giving free hand to Khalistan supporters.After the murder of Nijjar, Khalistani organizations waved banners supporting the assassination of Indira Gandhi, which caused outrage among the Indian public and government. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar condemned the incident and warned the Canadian government, but the Trudeau government ignored it.4. Trudeau's anti-India stanceCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's stance towards India has always been controversial. When Trudeau came to India during the G-20 summit in 2023, he did not show any enthusiasm to cooperate with India in the global fight against terrorism. Even when his plane broke down, India offered him a safe plane, which he turned down.This clearly shows that there is no flexibility in Trudeau's policies towards India. After returning to Canada, Trudeau made more sharp statements against India in Parliament, which further worsened relations between the two countries.5. Cancellation of visa services and diplomatic tensionsIn September 2023, Canada accused India of killing a Khalistani terrorist and ordered the deportation of an Indian intelligence officer. In response, India suspended visa services for Canada.In January 2024, Canada again accused India of interfering in the elections, which further increased tensions between the two countries. In April 2024, India again reacted strongly after slogans raised by Khalistani supporters in Canada, but Canada ignored these incidents.ConclusionThe sourness in relations between Canada and India is not the result of one day or one incident. It is the result of the support being received by Khalistani supporters in Canada and the lack of trust between the two countries. While on the one hand India is playing its important role in the world, it will be interesting to see in which direction its relations with Canada will go in the future.