Less than
10 days ago, at the G20 summit held in Delhi, India, the extent to which ties between
India and Canada were strained was evident.

While Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau shook hands and smiled at each
other, the encounter was brief in comparison with Modi’s photo ops with
other leaders. Trudeau also skipped the Indian president’s dinner for G20
leaders.

Five years
ago when Trudeau came to India with his family, it was a very different
picture, full of warmth and camaraderie.

The relationship began to sour when Trudeau
expressed concerns over anti-government farmer protests in India in 2020, seen
by some as aimed at appeasing the Sikh diaspora, many of whose
families were a part of the demonstrations.

And over
the past couple of years, the friction has deepened as numerous protests and
events have been held in Canada demanding the establishment of “Khalistan”, a separate Sikh homeland
in India’s Punjab state.

India
accuses Canada of providing shelter to “Khalistani” separatists and says Prime
Minister Trudeau’s latest allegation is an attempt to shift focus from
Canada’s inaction over Delhi’s long-standing concerns.