Ottawa: India and Canada have appointed new high commissioners to each other’s capitals, signalling the first major step toward restoring normal diplomatic ties after a year of tensions.
Ottawa has named Christopher Cooter as Canada’s new envoy to New Delhi, while India has appointed Dinesh K Patnaik, currently ambassador to Spain, as its representative in Ottawa. Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand described the move as part of a ‘step-by-step approach to deepening diplomatic engagement’ with India. India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Patnaik is expected to assume his assignment soon.
Relations between the two countries hit an unprecedented low in 2023 after the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, who was shot dead outside a temple in Vancouver. India had designated Nijjar a terrorist in 2020. Tensions escalated when former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged ‘credible allegations’ of Indian government involvement in the killing claims New Delhi dismissed as ‘absurd and motivated.’
The fallout led to the expulsion of top diplomats on both sides, including India’s then high commissioner in Ottawa and six senior Canadian diplomats. The diplomatic freeze disrupted what had otherwise been a generally cordial bilateral relationship.
At their first meeting in June 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trudeau’s successor Mark Carney agreed to reinstate senior diplomats, signalling a thaw in ties. However, differences remain over Canada’s handling of pro-Khalistan groups, with New Delhi accusing Ottawa of turning a blind eye to separatist activities.
Canada is home to more than 770,000 Sikhs, the largest Sikh diaspora outside Punjab, making the issue particularly sensitive in domestic politics. The fresh appointments of Cooter and Patnaik are being viewed as a cautious yet constructive attempt to move relations back on track.
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