Canada And India Name New Top Envoys As They Restore Relations
India and Canada named new high commissioners to each other's capitals Thursday as they restored relations 10 months after expelling the top envoys in a dispute over an alleged political assassination.
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Canada and India announced appointments of new high commissioners to their respective capitals on Thursday
Canada and India announced appointments of new high commissioners to their respective capitals on Thursday, signaling a restoration of diplomatic ties 10 months after mutually expelling top envoys amid tensions over an alleged political assassination plot.
Anita Anand, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, revealed that Christopher Cooter will serve as the new high commissioner to India. Meanwhile, India's foreign ministry stated that Dinesh Patnaik, currently serving as envoy to Spain, will be appointed to Ottawa "shortly."
Diplomatic relations between the two nations deteriorated after Canadian authorities implicated New Delhi in the June 2023 killing of a Canadian Sikh activist near Vancouver. Further investigations have uncovered evidence suggesting an escalating campaign targeting Canadian citizens by Indian government operatives.
A diplomatic thaw began in June when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the G7 summit in Alberta, with both nations subsequently agreeing to reinstate their top diplomats.
The victim, Nijjar, 45, was shot dead in his pickup truck after departing from the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia. A naturalized Canadian citizen born in India, he ran a plumbing business and was prominent in the movement advocating for an independent Sikh homeland.
Four Indian nationals residing in Canada have been charged in connection with Nijjar's murder.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously alleged that Indian diplomats were collecting information about Canadian citizens and transmitting it to senior levels of the Indian government, who then shared this intelligence with organized crime groups, resulting in violence against Canadians.
Trudeau asserted that India violated Canadian sovereignty—allegations that India dismissed as absurd.
Canada is not alone in making such accusations against India. The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges last year against an Indian government official allegedly involved in a thwarted assassination attempt targeting a Sikh separatist leader in New York City.
India has consistently criticized Canada for its perceived leniency toward Khalistan movement supporters residing in Canada. While banned in India, the Khalistan movement finds support among the Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada, where Sikhs constitute approximately 2% of the population.
Cooter brings 35 years of diplomatic experience to his new role, including previous postings in Israel and South Africa, as well as service in New Delhi 25 years ago.