Foreign Secy Vikram Misri to Address Parliamentary Panel on India-Canada Relations

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will brief the Parliamentary panel on external affairs on November 6, 2024, regarding the strained ties between India and Canada. This briefing comes in the wake of Canadian officials accusing Indian government functionaries of involvement in the murder of pro-Khalistani terrorist Harjeet Singh Nijjar, an allegation that India has strongly denied.

During the briefing, Misri is expected to discuss the deteriorating diplomatic relationship between the two countries, sparked by the accusations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. These claims included assertions that Home Minister Amit Shah orchestrated violence against Sikh separatists in Canada, which India has described as "absurd and baseless."

In addition to the India-Canada situation, Misri will touch upon the recent progress in India’s relations with China, particularly following an agreement to resume patrols at friction points along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

The tensions between India and Canada escalated significantly when India recalled its High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma, after he was identified as a "person of interest" in the Nijjar murder investigation. Moreover, India expelled six Canadian diplomats, including the acting High Commissioner, Stewart Ross Wheeler, on October 14.

Previously, on October 25, Misri briefed the panel on the Israel-Palestine conflict, emphasizing India's commitment to a negotiated two-state solution that would establish a sovereign and viable state of Palestine alongside Israel.

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