Diplomatic relations between India and Canada have never been this strained. The current spat between the two countries began when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in Parliament that there were credible allegations of the Indian government’s involvement in the murder of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Now India, in the latest salvo, has asked Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats from the country.

India has long wanted Canada to crack down on the activities of Khalistani separatists on its soil – something Canada has not been keen to do. What are the factors driving the Canadian government on this issue, given that Khalistani separatism has been an irritant in bilateral relations for a long time now? And how does a diplomatic confrontation with India gel with Canada’s foreign policy that seeks an Indo-Pacific pivot with an objective of ‘containing’ China?

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