India-Canada relations are once again in a renewed phase of tug of war. Whether it’s unsolicited remarks on India’s farmer protests, accusations against New Delhi for the murder of an Indo-Canadian terrorist Nijjar or labelling Indian diplomats as “persons of interest” in a Canadian police investigation, Canada, under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has been instigating a series of diplomatic blunders. These actions, at the best, appear to be crisis-mongering and politically motivated. The episode is also getting further messier with more-than-needed muscular diplomacy shown by the Indian Government.
Canada’s Spectacle of flaunting “Free Speech” & “Rule of Law” Credentials to India, World’s Largest Democracy:
What Trudeau presents as the duty of a rule-of-law country in response to the murder of leader of a Khalistan movement—a banned terrorist activity in India but seen as freedom activism in Canada—is quite ambiguous on the diplomatic front.
A nation that flaunts the rule of law cannot shelter individuals designated as terrorists by another country, such as India, which has a strong track record in international cooperation and sustainable diplomacy on the global stage. A Rule-of-Law Country must respect the rules & laws of another sovereign & friendly country. India is no more a nation to be taken for granted.
In the name of free speech, Canada must not allow its citizens to issue threats of terrorist actions against India or its interests or vilify a responsible nation like India, i.e. the largest democracy in the world. Indian Government is not taking the matter softly. India expelled 6 Canadian diplomats in firm response to a similar diplomatic blunder by Canada.
Under Trudeau, Canada is now picking fight with India, one more major power in Asia, after its better-to-forget episode with China. Canada is already suffering from hard-to-manage relations with China. Hence, Canada must respect India’s viewpoint on its national internal security & the threats originating from Khalistan movement, that includes terrorist activities & terror plots against India and the most important thing is, it originates from Canadian Soil.
India has firmly cited an atmosphere of extremism & violence in Canada and repeatedly stated in public about their lack of trust on Trudeau administration on the safety of Indian diplomats inside Canada. Tit-for-Tat actions on professionally working diplomats by both sides show the serious problems India & Canada have created for themselves.
Canada should take a cue from the U.S., which has accused a former Indian RAW officer as a co-conspirator in a similar case in a U.S. court. Despite this, the U.S. has secured respectful cooperation from India by giving respect to the broader Indo-U.S. relationship, which encompasses many significant aspects beyond this case.
“Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence. The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behavior has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.”
Ministry of External Affairs, India
“Keeping Canadians safe is the fundamental job of the Canadian government. The decision to expel these individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case. We continue to ask that the Indian government support the ongoing investigation in the Nijjar case, as it remains in both our countries’ interest to get to the bottom of this.”
Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
But the fact of matter is, Canada should move to prosecute and punish the terrorists responsible for the bombing of the Indian airplane “Kanishka” to reinforce its claim as a “rule of law” nation and build confidence to repair the damage done to India-Canada relation. India has repeatedly provided dossiers with evidence on this terrorist attack that claimed innocent lives. The vital part is, Trudeau must do it discreetly, instead of washing the dirty linens in public. India is a responsible democracy, world’s largest democracy, will not need a lesson on free speech or rule of law from Canada.
More-Than-Required Muscular Diplomacy by India:
It is worth debating how India’s long standing international neutrality and moral posture are now partially endangered. The meticulously crafted global image of India, carefully blended with defense against external threats by use of RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) and other intelligence agencies, is now under threat, due to some classified recklessness committed by Indian Side.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll-time declaration in 2019, “Hum Ghar me Ghuske Marenge” (We will kill them in their house), seems to be evolving into a broader policy, albeit unfortunately. This mindset starkly impacts the statesman image that the BJP has cultivated for PM Modi since 2014.
The way ahead is that India should avoid equating Pakistan and Canada in the same page. Indian voters understand Canada is a member of the 5-Eyes intelligence alliance and has strong people-to-people connections and business ties with India. Any poorly calibrated and extra-muscular diplomacy could deeply damage India-Canada relations, taking years to heal. India must recognize that Canada is a stable democracy and can be effectively engaged through diplomatic and subtle means to resolve issues discreetly.
Meanwhile, India should adopt a more measured approach and soften the more-than-required muscular diplomacy. All three countries—India, Canada, and the U.S.—understand the espionage game very well as a tool for achieving national security goals. However, diplomatic relations should not deteriorate over these issues, as there are more significant matters at stake than Canada harboring designated terrorists or India suspending visa services.
Canada needs to recognize that India is no longer a nation to be underestimated, and India must acknowledge that Canada is not Pakistan to assert extra-muscular diplomacy. They need to clean their dirty linens behind the curtain. India-Canada relations can no longer remain on a downcast route.