It seems that the West is sending a signal to India that it can return to old hostilities unless India toes their line on Russia. It is no surprise that India is being compared with Putin's Russia in terms of targeting 'dissidents' as the West calls these Khalistani terrorists, asserts Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
While there was no mention of India in the National Cyber Threat Assessment reports of 2018, 2020 and 2023-24, the 2025-26 assessment mentions India -- along with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea -- in the 'Cyber threat from state adversaries' section that introduces the state cyber threat ecosystem and discusses the cyber threats to Canada.
"From the beginning, as of last summer, we've worked closely with our Five Eyes partners, particularly with the United States, where they have gone through a similar pattern of behaviour from India in regards to an attempted extrajudicial killing," Trudeau told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa.
'The Americans want to have a good relationship with India. They see it as a counterweight to China. And also American businesses are all trying to get out of China and go to India and Vietnam as well, but India largely.'
Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya also condemned the violence and said that a "red line has been crossed" by Khalistani extremists, highlighting the rise of brazen violent extremism in Canada.
The 'deliberate attack' on a Hindu temple in Canada sparked strong condemnation in India on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.
India also accused Canada of allowing "celebration and glorification" of violence, expressing concerns over the security of Indian diplomats in that country, and said it expects Ottawa to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said he was not looking to "provoke" India or "escalate" tensions, but urged New Delhi to take the killing of a Sikh separatist leader with the "utmost seriousness".
Vikas Yadav, 39, was employed by the Cabinet Secretariat, which houses India's foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the federal prosecutors claimed on Thursday in an indictment filed in a US court in New York.
India on Thursday strongly rejected as 'baseless' allegations of its interference in Canadian elections and asserted that the core issue has been Ottawa's meddling in New Delhi's internal affairs.
Joly said that Ottawa stands by its decision to inform Canadians about the allegations surrounding the killing of Nijjar, but remains engaged with the Indian government on the issue.
"When it comes to the Canadian matter, we have made clear that the allegations are extremely serious and they need to be taken seriously. We wanted to see the government of India cooperate with Canada in its investigation. Obviously, they have not chosen that path," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference.
America has thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh extremist in the US, and warned India that its government may have been involved in it, reports the Financial Times.
'He is convinced that this will help him in the next election.' 'But as we know, the best laid plans of mice and men can go awry.'
'We are deeply concerned by the allegations referenced by (Canadian) Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau. We remain in close contact with our Canadian partners'
According to intelligence sources, Singh is believed to be hiding in Pakistan and was a member of the pro-Khalistan terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International.
'By making it so public in the House of Commons, you know the reaction in India... Mr Modi is not very happy about it; you're kicking out Canadian diplomats; you suspended visa services for Canadians...'
'India and Canada have almost 200 years of shared history and migrations. This won't be the last of our partnership.'
'Canada doesn't want to de-escalate and neither does India. There is war when one party wants it, but peace is won by both parties.'
The unidentified youths shot Nijjar, a designated terrorist, inside the premises of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib, of which he was the head, at Surrey at 8:27 pm (local time) on Sunday, they said.
The statements the separatists make, the abominable tableaux at their parades, the slogans, posters, and selfies with assault rifles are not India's problem. If they are a nuisance, it should bother their host countries, because they are armed and have their own underworld with deadly gang rivalries. Significantly, none of this happens in the US -- only in snowflaky Canada, points out Shekhar Gupta.
According to several media reports, gunshots were fired at the residence of the son of Satish Kumar, the president of Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, in Surrey on Wednesday.
'Are we to believe that coordinated moves by the Canadian and US authorities are no longer taking place?', asks Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
At least nine separatist organisations supporting terror groups have their bases in Canada and despite multiple deportation requests Ottawa has taken no action against those involved in heinous crimes, including the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, officials in New Delhi said on Tuesday.
The immigration tribunal ruled that the Sikh man who "housed and fed" armed Khalistani militants in India over a decade should be allowed into Canada because he did so "mostly out of necessity" and fear of retribution, the paper said.
He said that India is far more important strategically than Canada is and Ottawa picking up a fight with India is like "an ant picking up a fight against an elephant".
Speaking to reporters, Trudeau said, "The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we've been talking about from the very beginning: which is India needs to take this seriously."
India has strongly rejected as "baseless" allegations of its interference in Canadian elections and asserted that the core issue has been Ottawa's meddling in New Delhi's internal affairs.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Canada is 'very serious' about building closer ties with India as it is a growing economic power and important geopolitical player, but wants New Delhi to work with Ottawa to ensure that they get the full facts about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Indian envoy said that India was "absolutely" and "decidedly" not involved in the homicide, terming it a "motivated and absurd allegation."
Experts say Canada's allegations regarding the Indian government's involvement in the fatal shooting of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada 'could be most significant test of strength of US-India partnership since early 2000s'.
A Canadian high commission spokesperson on Friday said the slashing of the size of the Indian staff was necessary given the reduction of Canadian staff in the country.
'When it comes to India, I have mentioned it many times, I am in close contact with my counterpart, S Jaishankar, and we know this is a difficult moment in a relationship that spanned decades, so therefore I am confident that we will be able to get through this difficult period'
The report by the Financial Times on Tuesday came even as Canada is yet to comply with India's communication to Ottawa to withdraw over three dozen of its 62 diplomats in the country.
The US on Tuesday said it was "deeply concerned" about the allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on India's involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Surrey, and urged New Delhi to "cooperate" with Ottawa in the investigation of the incident.
Canada has evacuated a majority of its diplomats working in India outside of New Delhi to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore after it gave Ottawa an October 10 deadline to reduce its diplomatic staff to achieve parity in strength following a row over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to a media report on Friday.
A day after The Washington Post named an Indian official for allegedly plotting to eliminate Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, India on Tuesday said the report made 'unwarranted and unsubstantiated' imputations on a serious matter.
Pro-Khalistan elements based in Canada have been luring gullible Sikh youth to the North American country by sponsoring their visa with the sole objective of using them to carry out their agenda on Canadian soil, sources said on Wednesday.
Amid the ongoing diplomatic tussle between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a group of hackers claiming to be Indian Cyber Force temporarily disabled the official website of Canadian army, The Telegraph, London, reported on Thursday.
"One, we told the Canadians that this is not the Government of India's policy," Jaishankar said. "Two, we told the Canadians saying that look, if you have something specific, if you have something relevant, let us know. We are open to looking at it," Jaishankar said while responding to a question from former US ambassador to India and CFR Distinguished Fellow Kenneth Juster, in his first public comments on the issue.
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