India-Canada ties: Decade-old issues resurfaced with crimes originating abroad, says envoy amid Nijjar killing row

Sanjay Kumar Verma, Indian envoy to Canada, at an event in Montreal on Tuesday, characterised the relationship between the two countries, India and Canada, as marred by “decade-old issues” that have resurfaced with unfortunate crimes and threats originating from Canadian territory. He also emphasised that the fate of India would be determined by Indians themselves and not by foreigners. 

Speaking at an event in Montreal on Foreign Relations, the Indian High Commissioner said, “A lot of discussions at the government level, both sides, is happening and through the diplomatic channels. And the way in which it is moving, I think it will come to both sides to see the virtue of resolving the issues, satisfying the concerns of both sides. My concern is national security and threats emanating from the land of Canada, these threats are largely emanating from the Canadian citizens...we are ready to sit down on the table any day, and we are doing that. And we are trying to resolve this issue.”

Speaking further on the current situation between the two countries, Verma said, “If those people who are Indians living abroad want to decide the fate of India, better to go back and participate in the election process,” he said as quoted by newswire ANI. 

He further said, “When we call two countries in bilateral relations as partners, strategic partners, friends, we expect both the countries to understand each other's perspectives, each other's concerns respect the cultural diversity of each other. Unfortunately, there have been issues, and this is nothing new, decades-old issues have resurfaced, re-emerged…,” Verma said. 

This is Verma's first public statement since the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested three Indian nationals on Friday, May 3, in connection with the assassination of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.

Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karan Brar, 22, all Indian nationals, are facing charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Last Friday, Canadian Police said the cops are still probing whether the three accused had ties to the Indian government.

However, India has strongly denied involvement in Nijjar's death. On Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India will wait for Canadian police to share information on the three accused.

Nijjar was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India. The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi, which had labelled Nijjar a “terrorist.”

Canadian Sikh leaders have called for Canada to investigate Indian interference in Canadian affairs. Nijjar's longtime friend Moninder Singh called the arrests in his friend's death “bittersweet” last week.