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Are Canada and India working to mend their relationship?
The sudden change in the tone of the discourse between the two nations is also attributed to the election of Donald Trump as the President of the US.
Stock image. / Pexels
If developments in the last couple of days are any indication, Canada and India appear to be moving towards gradual reconciliation to put behind the “diplomatic” bitterness that cropped up between the two once-friendly nations.
A few Canadian initiatives indicate the trend. The withdrawal of enhanced security screening of India-bound passengers at Canadian airports shortly after the announcement is being seen as a signal in this direction. So is the official denial of accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated allegedly by agents of the Government of India.
Though the two Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi and Justin Trudeau did not hold any bilateral meeting on the side lines of the just-concluded G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the bonhomie witnessed during the concluding event, including the group photograph of the leaders that attended the Rio summit, is being interpreted as a welcome break from the “unsavoury” political and diplomatic discourses of the recent past.
A recent report in a major Canadian newspaper again attempted to raise a finger at the top Indian hierarchy for the recent incidents of violence against Canadians of Indian origin on Canadian soil. The Government of Canada, however, immediately came out strongly against it by describing the reported allegations as “both speculative and inaccurate”.
The sudden change in the tone of the discourse between the two nations is also attributed to the election of Donald Trump as the President of the US.
Following is the statement issued by the Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister, Nathalie G. Drouin:” “On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India.
“The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada.
“Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate.”
It may be pertinent to mention that earlier disclosures by the top Canadian security officials had also raised fingers at the Indian Home Minister Amit Shah linking him to the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The government of India had been rejecting all such allegations describing them as “absurd” and “slanderous”.
The tirade of accusations appears to have stalled for now after the Canadian government has come out openly to deny the latest media reports linking the Indian top leadership to the “serious criminal activity”. Diplomatic circles are abuzz with speculations that things would change in accordance with the rapidly changing geopolitical developments after the US Presidential elections.
Yesterday, the Canadian Transport Minister, Anita Anand, also announced the withdrawal of the enhanced security protocol that was introduced early this week for India-bound passengers and their baggage.
Transport Canada had taken the exceptional step of enhancing enhanced screening of India-bound passengers after an Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago was diverted to a Canadian airport at Iqaluit in October following a “bomb scare”. No bomb was found on the aircraft before it left for its destination in the US. This protocol was announced only for India-bound flights from various Canadian airports.
Canadians later described the enhanced security protocol both as “precautionary” and “cautious” to ensure the safety of air passengers and their baggage.
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