“From there, the relationship has gone downhill,” said Dr Jain. “It is very important that a diplomatic solution is found sooner rather than later, and that this situation does not escalate to a level where diplomatic negotiations become even worse.”
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an emergency statement to the House of Commons that “the involvement of any foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.
Mr Trudeau said he had raised the murder with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit. He also urged the Indian government to “cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter”.
The Indian government has taken the stance that any separatist movement, even outside of India, is a threat to the country’s solidarity and integrity, said Dr Jain. “And it takes this principle very, very seriously.”