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India\u2019s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to skip the upcoming G7 Summit in Canada, marking the first time in six years that he will be absent from the high-profile gathering of the world\u2019s most influential democracies. While officially unconfirmed, Indian media reports, citing sources familiar with the matter, suggest that neither New Delhi nor Ottawa has made any effort to initiate discussions about Modi\u2019s presence. The strained state of diplomatic relations, especially after Canada\u2019s accusation of Indian involvement in the 2022 assassination of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, casts a long shadow over this year\u2019s summit.\nThat accusation, made public by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September 2023, shocked the international community. Trudeau claimed there were \u201ccredible allegations\u201d of Indian state involvement in Nijjar\u2019s killing\u2014a charge backed by intelligence shared within the Five Eyes alliance. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh leader, was gunned down outside a gurdwara in British Columbia. The backlash was swift and unprecedented: Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the head of India\u2019s intelligence wing in Ottawa, while India retaliated by halting visa services and accusing Canada of harboring extremists. According to BBC News, this marked one of the lowest points in bilateral relations between the two nations.
\nThis was not an isolated episode. In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, charging him with conspiring to assassinate Sikh-American activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on U.S. soil. According to The New York Times, the indictment alleged that Gupta was working under the direction of an Indian intelligence official and had attempted to hire a hitman\u2014who turned out to be an undercover U.S. agent\u2014to carry out the assassination. The U.S. government treated the plot as a serious breach of sovereignty and a grave threat to public safety.
\nAcross the Atlantic, the United Kingdom has also voiced concern over India\u2019s growing international aggression. In early 2024, members of the British Parliament raised alarms about covert Indian operations targeting Sikh diaspora communities. According to The Guardian, lawmakers cited evidence of surveillance, intimidation, and disinformation campaigns orchestrated by Indian operatives in the UK. The debate underscored a bipartisan consensus that British soil must remain a safe space for political expression and dissent\u2014regardless of India\u2019s strategic significance.
\nIndia\u2019s covert operations haven\u2019t spared its traditional adversary either. The case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer arrested in Pakistan\u2019s Balochistan province in 2016, remains a defining moment in India\u2019s regional espionage history. According to the ruling by the International Court of Justice, while India was granted consular access to Jadhav, the court did not dismiss the core charges of espionage and sabotage. Pakistan maintains that Jadhav was sent to destabilize its territory\u2014an allegation that continues to complicate any potential diplomatic thaw between the neighbors.
\nThese incidents form a troubling pattern, now drawing international scrutiny. Modi\u2019s anticipated absence from the G7 Summit is not merely logistical\u2014it reflects growing global discomfort with India\u2019s approach to dissent and diplomacy. Canada\u2019s decision to not extend an invitation to India this year underscores the diplomatic isolation New Delhi faces. For a leader who was once feted in Western capitals as a reformer, this marks a sharp reversal.
\nIt wasn\u2019t always this way. Modi\u2019s early years in office were celebrated as a new dawn for India\u2019s global ambitions. He was seen as a leader capable of marrying economic liberalization with democratic governance. But over time, his government\u2019s authoritarian tendencies have undermined that promise. At home, the crackdown on journalists, human rights defenders, and religious minorities has eroded India\u2019s democratic credentials. Abroad, New Delhi has shifted from dialogue to covert repression.
\nEven Washington, a key ally in the Indo-Pacific strategy, is showing signs of unease. The 2024 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report noted instances of extrajudicial killings, suppression of religious freedoms, and restrictions on civil society in India. While the Trump administration continues to view India as a strategic bulwark against China, the contradiction between values and interests is becoming harder to ignore.
\nCanada\u2019s stance at the G7 is part of a larger reckoning. Western nations that once saw India as a natural democratic partner are now confronting the reality of Modi\u2019s foreign and domestic policies. The use of extraterritorial violence, covert repression, and diplomatic strong-arming stands in stark contrast to the liberal democratic order the G7 purports to uphold.
\nOther countries invited to this year\u2019s summit\u2014including South Africa, Ukraine, and Australia\u2014have confirmed their attendance. India, on the other hand, remains conspicuously absent. This isolation is not the result of geopolitical misfortune, but of deliberate policy choices. A seat at the table of global democracies cannot be earned through trade deals and military alignment alone\u2014it must be accompanied by respect for international law and human rights.
\nModi\u2019s likely absence from the G7 is more than symbolic. It\u2019s a signpost on the road to reputational decline. If India continues to pursue policies of suppression abroad and authoritarianism at home, it may soon find itself not only uninvited, but unwelcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"