CNN
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India and Canada signaled a reset of relations on Tuesday, agreeing to reestablish a high committee of each other’s capital following the Ottawa charges that New Delhi allegedly involved in the killing of Sikh separatists in the soil.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian Countermark Carney, who took office in March, announced the move after meeting bystanders of groups of seven summits in the Rockies, Canada.
Ottawa and New Delhi have agreed to “designate new high commissioners with the aim of returning to regular service to citizens and businesses in both countries,” according to a statement from Carney’s office.
The move comes after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Canadian officials publicly accused New Delhi of being involved in the murder of prominent Sikh separatists and Canadian citizen Harpi Singh Nijar in the suburbs of Vancouver in 2023.
Canadian authorities said they shared the evidence with Indian authorities. However, Indian officials repeatedly denied Canada’s provision of evidence, calling the allegations “absurd and motivated.”
Relations between the two countries have plummeted after the accusations, urging claims from Canada’s India, which has a “terrorist” banishment, urgent ban on TAT diplomatic stolen, a temporary suspension of visa services, and “terrorists” and encourage “anti-Indian activities.”
According to CNN affiliate CBC, Carney said earlier this month it makes sense to have leaders in the world’s most populous country around the table when there were “big challenges.”
Carney also attended this year’s rally, inviting leaders from several other non-member countries in Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Ukraine, Australia and South Korea.
There were no signs of tension on Tuesday as the Canadian Prime Minister shook hands in Alberta, Western Canada, which he calls “great honor” to host Indian leaders in the G7.
“India has arrived at the G7 since 2018. And it is a testament to the importance of your country, your leadership and the issues we aim to tackle together,” Carney told reporters.
Modi’s comments on Kearney were equally welcomed.
“We had a great meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney,” he wrote about X. “India and Canada have led to strong belief in democracy, freedom and the rule of law. Prime Minister Carney and I look forward to working closely to add momentum to the friendship between India and Canada.”
The Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said the two discussed opportunities to “deepen engagement” in areas such as technology, digital transition, food security and key minerals.
Neither leader has publicly mentioned the recent tensions in relations or discussion of Nijar’s murder.
Nijar, who was shot outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, was shot by a masked man in June 2023, is a prominent campaigner in the homeland of independent Sikhs in northern India and is known as Khalistan.
The campaign for the creation of Kalistan has long been considered a national security threat by New Delhi and has been banned in India. And many groups associated with the movement are listed as “terrorist organizations” under Indian law.
However, the movement has achieved a level of sympathy from some of the Sikh community, particularly in the diaspora.
CNN affiliate CTV has seen scores of Sikh protesters waving the Kalistan flag in Calgary, Alberta, since the start of the summit on Sunday.
Some protesters expressed their anger at Modi’s visit, while others demanded justice in the murder of Nijar.
When asked about Nijjar’s murder at a press conference after speaking to Modi, Carney said: “There’s an ongoing judicial process and we need to be more careful about commentary.”
Carney told CBC’s Radio Canada last week that he spoke with Modi about Nijar when asked about Sikh separatists and ongoing police investigations last week.
