India considers the Khalistani movement a grave threat to its sovereignty and is worried about the militancy of the 1980s reviving. New Delhi is also frustrated that Ottawa refuses to act against pro-Khalistani groups operating out of its soil.

The "Khalistan" campaign dates back to India's 1947 independence, and has been blamed for the assassination of a prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet. It has been a bitter issue between India and several Western nations with large Sikh populations.

This is not the first time that India and Canada have locked horns over an issue connected to the Khalistan movement in Canada. The tussle goes back to 1982 when then PM Indira Gandhi spoke her mind on the subject to Trudeau’s father,