Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta - a move that could mark the beginning of a diplomatic reset between Ottawa and New Delhi.
PM Modi on Friday accepted the invitation and said he will attend the Group of Seven leaders summit. India is not a member of the G7 but PM Modi has been invited to attend previous summits since 2019, when France invited him to Biarritz.
But India remains watchful, especially as Carney declined to comment on the investigation into the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar - the issue that sparked the current freeze in relations.
Carney, a former central banker with no political baggage, told reporters on Friday that a “legal process is underway” and asserted that Canada’s institutions “follow the rule of law,” adding, “no one would interfere in the ongoing investigations."
His comments come in stark contrast to the unprecedented accusation levelled by his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, who in September 2023 alleged - without offering public evidence - that Indian agents were behind the killing of Nijjar in British Columbia. Trudeau’s dramatic announcement in Parliament, based on what he claimed was “credible intelligence,” plunged India-Canada ties into a deep freeze.
India, calling the claim “absurd and politically motivated,” responded sharply — expelling Canadian diplomats, suspending visa services, and calling out Canada’s failure to act against extremist elements operating freely under the protection of “freedom of speech.”
Nijjar and the heart of rift
At the core of the India-Canada diplomatic rupture is Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist and a prominent Khalistan separatist who advocated for the violent secession of Punjab from India. Nijjar was wanted for his involvement in multiple terror cases, including conspiracies to carry out attacks in India.
Despite repeated diplomatic representations, Canada not only refused to extradite Nijjar but allowed him to freely lead gurdwara politics and Khalistani campaigns from Surrey, British Columbia.
Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in June 2023. While the investigation remains open, Trudeau’s baseless attribution of blame to India, made without sharing actionable evidence with either New Delhi or the public, was seen by Indian officials as reckless, politically driven, and deeply damaging.
India’s position remains firm: Nijjar was not a peaceful activist but a fugitive terrorist exploiting Canada’s leniency and loopholes. For New Delhi, any real improvement in ties depends on Ottawa abandoning its policy of appeasement toward Khalistan sympathizers, many of whom openly glorify violence and incite hatred against India.
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