India Appoints New High Commissioner to Canada in Bid to Repair Diplomatic Relations

India has chosen Dinesh K Patnaik, a senior diplomat, to be its next High Commissioner to Canada. Patnaik, an officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) from the 1990 batch, currently serves as India’s Ambassador to Spain since November 2021. He is slated to assume his new duties shortly. This appointment is taking place as India and Canada strive to restore their diplomatic relations, which were strained following the withdrawal of India’s High Commissioner and several diplomats nearly nine months prior. Both nations have expressed their intention to reinstate High Commissioners in their respective capitals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met during the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, and affirmed the importance of their bilateral ties. They agreed to take steps to ‘restore stability’ in the relationship. The deterioration in relations stemmed from allegations made by then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which India strongly contested. As a consequence, India recalled six diplomats and expelled six Canadian diplomats. With the leadership change in Canada, both countries are making efforts to improve their relationship, as evidenced by their discussions at the G7 Summit, which focused on bolstering their bilateral cooperation.