- Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Ties between the two countries were strained following accusations of New Delhi’s involvement in the 2023 assassination of a Canadian Sikh
By: India Weekly
INDIA’S foreign minister, S Jaishankar, said he had spoken to his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, as the two countries seek to ease fraught relations.
The telephone call, which took place late Sunday (25), is the highest diplomatic contact between Ottawa and New Delhi since Mark Carney became Canadian prime minister in March.
Ties between Canada and India were strained following accusations of New Delhi’s involvement in the 2023 assassination of a Canadian Sikh, claims India denied.
Jaishankar said he had “discussed the prospects of India-Canada ties” with newly appointed foreign minister Anita Anand and he had “wished her a very successful tenure”.
Anand, whose parents hailed from India, said on X she looked forward to “strengthening Canada–India ties, deepening our economic cooperation, and advancing shared priorities”.
Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside of India and includes activists for “Khalistan”, a fringe separatist movement seeking an independent state in India.
Ottawa 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 targeting other Sikh activists connected to the movement.
India has repeatedly dismissed the allegations, which sent diplomatic relations into freefall, with both nations last year expelling a string of top diplomats.
The Khalistan campaign has been blamed for the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 and the bombing of a Montreal-Mumbai Air India passenger jet in 1985.
New Delhi demands stricter action against the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India, with key leaders accused of “terrorism”.
Canada will host the G7 summit next month at Kananaskis in Alberta.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend previous summits since 2019, but it is not clear whether he has been invited to Canada.
