Khalistan movement

• Any Canadian diplomats in India past Oct. 10 are expected to lose their immunity.
• The high-profile diplomatic crisis has confirmed rumours of longstanding tensions between the two countries over the issue of Sikh separatism in the Indian state of Punjab.

The facts so far

• Nijjar, a Canadian citizen wanted in India for alleged terrorist acts, was part of the Khalistan movement calling for a Sikh homeland separate from India’s Punjab state.
• The movement is controversial because of its organized violence against Indian officials and terrorism-motivated tactics.
• India and Canada have each expelled diplomats from their respective countries, and India has suspended visas for Canadians as the diplomatic crisis deepens.

Still to be revealed

• Trudeau has yet to reveal the “credible evidence” provided by Five Eyes linking India to the crime.
• The FBI has warned American-Sikh activists that their lives are in danger, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on India to co-operate with Canada and ensure “accountability” over the killing.
• But that doesn’t necessarily mean the Indian government had a hand in Nijjar’s murder.

Fraught history

• India has a painful history with separatism after it gained independence from British colonialism in 1947.
• Shortly after that, diplomatic and later militaristic crisis over Jammu and Kashmir unfolded, which culminated in two wars between India and Pakistan and several armed engagements.
• The parallel rise of Naga nationalism in neighbouring Nagaland is also a thorny issue for Indian authorities.

Existential crisis

• On the other hand, India’s secessionist movements represent an existential crisis threatening everything India has worked towards for the past 76 years.
• Nijjar’s murder, however, is also a matter of grave importance for Canada.
• But both Canada and India will need to calculate the risks and repercussions of such a high-profile diplomatic rift in a highly globalized world.