India and Canada, two countries that once shared strong ties, have seen a recent strain in their relationship. The Indian High Commissioner in Canada has been withdrawn by the Indian government.

The issue began a year ago when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, under pressure from his pro-Khalistani alliance partner, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, faced controversy. Khalistan, a terrorist organization demanding independence from the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan, is suspected of having links to the ISI. This organization has many supporters in Canada who spread propaganda and promote extremism and terrorism.

The relationship took a significant hit in September 2023 after Prime Minister Trudeau accused Indian agents of involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India strongly denied these allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated.”

This issue gained worldwide attention, with the West initially favoring Canada, while countries like Serbia, Russia, and Iran openly supported India. Eventually, most of the world, including Western nations, stood with India. Canada had planned for the G7 countries to issue a joint statement and sanction India. However, this plan backfired when the G7 countries refused. In fact, the Canadian opposition questioned the ruling coalition as to why they didn’t take action against Beijing for similar behavior.

Finally, the Canadian Prime Minister stated that they were not accusing India outright. However, he later claimed that India was supporting violence in Canada. In response, India sent the Canadian High Commissioner back to Canada.

Both countries should work towards peace. After all, this is a diplomatic conflict between a NATO member and the world’s largest democracy.

The author is a student of New Era Public School, Mayapuri