India, Canada seek to rebuild diplomatic relations

INDIA's foreign minister said he spoke to his Canadian counterpart as both countries work to ease tensions.

The telephone call, held late Sunday, marked the highest-level diplomatic contact between Ottawa and New Delhi since Mark Carney became Canadian prime minister in March.

Relations between Canada and India have been strained since accusations were made over New Delhi’s involvement in the 2023 killing of a Canadian Sikh, claims India has denied.

India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he had “discussed the prospects of India-Canada ties” with newly appointed foreign minister Anita Anand and had “wished her a very successful tenure”.

Anand, whose parents came from India, said on X that she looked forward to “strengthening Canada–India ties, deepening our economic cooperation, and advancing shared priorities”.

Canada hosts the largest Sikh community outside India, including activists for “Khalistan”, a separatist movement that seeks to carve an independent state for Sikhs out of India.

Ottawa had previously accused India of orchestrating the 2023 killing in Vancouver of 45-year-old naturalised Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistan campaigner, and of targeting other Sikh activists linked to the movement.

India has repeatedly rejected these claims, which led to both countries expelling several senior diplomats last year.

The Khalistan campaign dates back to India’s 1947 independence and has been blamed for the killing of an Indian prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet.

It remains a source of tension between India and several Western nations with large Sikh communities.

New Delhi has called for stronger action against the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India, with some of its leaders accused of “terrorism”.

Canada will host the G7 summit next month.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has been invited to previous G7 summits since 2019, when France invited him to Biarritz. There are no details as to whether Modi has been invited to Canada.

(With inputs from AFP)