"Business ties are unlikely to get affected," said Jayant Dasgupta, former Indian envoy to WTO, in a special session with CNBC-TV18's Parikshit Luthra.

However, K.C. Singh, former MEA spokesperson and ambassador to Iran, felt differently. He said the present strain in the bilateral relationships between India and Canada will have some impact on trade and services between two countries.

The former diplomats made their observations after tensions boiled over on the diplomatic front. India on Tuesday (September 19) rejected Canada's allegations as "absurd and motivated" Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of Indian government's links to the killing of an Indian-born Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.

Trudeau said Canadian security agencies have been "actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar."

"Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," he said.

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Singh said Sikhs are half of the Indian diaspora in Canada, which gives them some electoral clout in the G7 nation. "The majority community will not vote just on the basis of this controversy with India," he said. The Indian government is upset about the fact that Canada made these allegations publicly, without providing an opportunity to prevent counter facts, he opined.

Ashok Sajjanhar, former diplomat, said India would never intervene in the internal affairs of another country, talking about the expulsion of an Indian diplomat by the office of the Canadian foreign minister.

CBC News further reported that Trudeau has briefed the leaders of some of Canada's closest allies about the case, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden.

India responded to Canada's actions by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat after summoning the High Commissioner of Canada, Cameron MacKay to the Union Foreign Ministry's office.

Also Read:Canada India Tension: Canada says India likely involved in Khalistani terrorist's murder, India rejects claims

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Sept 19, 2023 6:10 PM IST