As India and Canada reset ties, NSAs, diplomats meet in Delhi, focus on Khalistani menace and safety cooperation

Indian and Canadian National Security Advisors (NSAs) and safety groups held talks on enhancing bilateral cooperation in Delhi on Thursday (September 18, 2025), two years after bilateral ties have been ripped aside by Ottawa’s allegation that Indian authorities officers have been linked to the killing of Khalistani activist Harjeet Singh Nijjar.  

“This is a part of the common bilateral safety consultations that occur between the 2 international locations,” mentioned Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, confirming the assembly between the NSAs. “It was additionally a chance and event for them to observe up on the discussions that occurred between Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] and [Canadian] Prime Minister [Mark] Carney in Kananaskis on the sidelines of G-7 in Alberta [in June this year],” he added.

Changed focus

Sources informed The Hindu that the day-long talks between NSA Ajit Doval and Nathalie Drouin, the Canadian National Security and Intelligence Advisor, didn’t deal with the Nijjar case, which is now in trial courtroom. Instead, they mentioned shifting forward on sharing data and counter-terror cooperation, in addition to India’s requests for the extradition of quite a few Khalistani activists wished for instances in India.

The Canadian delegation included Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs David Morrison, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme, and senior diplomats from Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Foreign Ministry.

Repairing damaged ties

Significantly, many officers on either side of the desk had been a part of the stormy conferences held in 2023, when Canada had claimed it had “credible proof” that Indian authorities brokers have been linked to the assassination of Nijjar who was shot useless exterior a Toronto-area gurudwara in June 2023. At the time, Mr. Duheme had doubled down on the allegations, accusing Indian diplomats and staffers of “clandestine” and “legal” behaviour. In specific, a gathering between Mr. Doval and his earlier counterpart in Singapore had ended with either side buying and selling prices, and subsequently expelling one another’s diplomats for espionage.

Ties solely started to be repaired earlier this 12 months, after Mr. Carney invited Mr. Modi to the G-7 summit, and either side determined to revive their High Commissioners and restart the commerce talks suspended by Canada two years in the past. Even so, safety issues over separatist Khalistani teams in Canada stay a problem. 

Khalistani threats

The talks in Delhi got here a day after a Khalistani group laid “siege” to the Indian Consulate in Vancouver, to protest what it referred to as “espionage and surveillance by Indian diplomats” and likewise focused the newly arrived Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, on posters. Mr. Patnaik and Canada’s High Commissioner to India Christopher Cooter took cost of their missions final week, and are anticipated to current their credentials in Ottawa and Delhi later this month.  

Asked whether or not India had taken up the most recent threats with the visiting Canadian delegation, Mr. Jaiswal mentioned that the safety of diplomatic missions is the accountability of the host authorities.

“As and when there’s a concern, we do take it up with our [counterparts] in Canada to make sure that there’s ample safety of our diplomatic premises,” Mr. Jaiswal mentioned. His assertion was in distinction to earlier such incidents when India had vocally protested to the Canadian authorities relating to its failure to quell safety threats, and is an indication of the brand new understanding between New Delhi and the brand new authorities in Ottawa, led by PM Mark Carney, to reset ties.