India and Canada signaled a reset of relations on Tuesday, agreeing to reestablish high commissions in each other\u2019s capitals, after nearly two years of strained ties following Ottawa\u2019s accusations that New Delhi was allegedly involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist on its soil. <\/p>\n
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, who took office in March, announced the move after meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 7 summit in the Canadian Rockies. <\/p>\n
Ottawa and New Delhi agreed to \u201cdesignate new high commissioners, with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and business in both countries,\u201d according to a statement from Carney\u2019s office following their meeting <\/p>\n
The move comes nearly two years after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Canadian officials publicly accused New Delhi of being involved in the murder of prominent Sikh separatist and Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a Vancouver suburb in 2023. <\/p>\n
Canadian authorities said they shared evidence of that with Indian authorities. However, Indian government officials repeatedly denied Canada had provided evidence and called the allegations \u201cabsurd and motivated.\u201d <\/p>\n
Relations between both countries plummeted in the wake of the accusation, prompting tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions, the temporary suspension of visa services and allegations from India of Canada harboring \u201cterrorists\u201d and encouraging \u201canti-India activities\u201d – a claim the Canadian government rejects. <\/p>\n
Carney invited the leaders of several other nonmember countries \u2014 Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Ukraine, Australia and South Korea \u2014 to also attend this year\u2019s gathering. <\/p>\n
There were no signs of tension on Tuesday as Modi and Carney shook hands in the western Canadian province of Alberta with the Canadian prime minister calling it a \u201cgreat honor\u201d to host the Indian leader at the G7. <\/p>\n
\u201cIndia has been coming to the G7 I believe since 2018\u2026 and it\u2019s a testament to the importance of your country, to your leadership and to the importance of the issues that we look to tackle together,\u201d Carney told reporters. <\/p>\n
Modi\u2019s comments toward Carney were similarly welcoming. <\/p>\n
\u201cHad an excellent meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney,\u201d he wrote on X. \u201cIndia and Canada are connected by a strong belief in democracy, freedom and rule of law. PM Carney and I look forward to working closely to add momentum to the India-Canada friendship.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Canadian prime minister\u2019s office said the two discussed opportunities to \u201cdeepen engagement\u201d in areas such as technology, the digital transition, food security, and critical minerals. <\/p>\n
Neither leader publicly mentioned discussing recent strained relations or the killing of Nijjar. <\/p>\n
Nijjar, who was gunned down by masked men in June 2023 outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, was a prominent campaigner for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India, which would be known as Khalistan. <\/p>\n
Campaigning for the creation of Khalistan has long been considered by New Delhi as a national security threat and outlawed in India \u2013 and a number of groups associated with the movement are listed as \u201cterrorist organizations\u201d under Indian law. <\/p>\n
But the movement garners a level of sympathy from some in the Sikh community, especially in the diaspora, where activists protected by free speech laws can more openly demand secession from India. <\/p>\n
Some demonstrators expressed outrage over Modi\u2019s visit, while others demanded justice over Nijjar\u2019s killing. <\/p>\n
When asked about the murder of Nijjar during a news conference after speaking with Modi, Carney said: \u201cThere is a judicial process that\u2019s underway, and I need to be careful about further commentary.\u201d <\/p>\n
Carney also told CBC\u2019s Radio-Canada last week that he had spoken with Modi about Nijjar, when asked about the Sikh separatist and ongoing police investigation. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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