ISLAMABAD  -  Diplomatic tensions between Canada and India have spiralled out of control, resulting in the mutual expulsion of senior dip­lomats. The charges involve ac­tivities incompatible with their diplomatic status.

Canadian security agencies are actively investigating credible allegations linking Indian gov­ernment agents to the assassina­tion of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a case brought to the forefront by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced the im­mediate expulsion of the Indian diplomat based in Ottawa, who served as the cover for the Sta­tion Chief of India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analy­sis Wing (RAW).

Nijjar, a leader in the Khalistan movement and Sikh for Justice, was fatally shot in broad day­light in Vancouver in June.

couver, home to a large Sikh migrant population from Indian Punjab, saw a record turnout in a recent referendum for an inde­pendent Khalistan from In­dia, with over 130,000 Sikh participants. Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, leader of the Sikh for Justice movement, has boldly accused Indian diplomats of involvement in Nijjar’s assassination. Pannu emphasizes the in­ternational exposure of al­leged Indian intelligence agency conspiracy. Pan­nu further suggested that the expulsion of the se­nior diplomat might be fol­lowed by the removal of In­dian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma, im­plicating his knowledge of the plot. Amidst these de­velopments, Canada’s For­eign Minister Melanie Joly raised concerns over the potential violation of Cana­dian sovereignty if India’s intelligence agencies were found to be responsible for an assassination on Cana­dian soil. Pannu, the found­er of the Khalistan move­ment, vows Sikh retaliation against India’s RAW intel­ligence. He asserts their commitment to interna­tional law and peaceful means in the pursuit of jus­tice for Nijjar’s assassina­tion, stressing that their goal is freedom through a Khalistan movement refer­endum. Pannu emphasiz­es that Sikhs are freedom fighters, not terrorists, ad­vocating for the people of Indian Punjab who seek in­dependence from the Indi­an government. He notes that over a million Sikhs have already voted in favour of the Khalistan movement referendum. In a retalia­tory move, the Indian gov­ernment expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in New Delhi in response to the Ot­tawa expulsion. A statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the decision, further com­plicating the strained diplo­matic relations between the two nations.