Dinesh K Patnaik, a senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer belonging to the 1990 batch, has been officially appointed as India’s new High Commissioner to Canada, marking a significant step in restoring diplomatic presence in the country. Patnaik, who is currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Spain, will soon take charge of this new responsibility. The appointment was confirmed through a formal notification issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, which stated that he will be assuming his duties as the High Commissioner in the near future.
This development comes nearly nine months after India had decided to withdraw its envoy from Canada due to escalating diplomatic tensions. The tensions had been triggered in October 2024 when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made serious allegations against New Delhi, claiming that India had a role in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a known Khalistani terrorist, on Canadian soil. These accusations created a major rift between the two countries, straining relations to an unprecedented level.
The situation worsened further when Canadian authorities named India’s then High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Saxena, along with a few other Indian diplomats, as ‘persons of interest’ in connection with the Nijjar investigation. In retaliation, the Government of India not only withdrew its diplomats from Canada but also decided to expel six Canadian diplomats. Those expelled included Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert, and First Secretaries Marie Catherine Joly, Ian Ross, David Trites, Adam James Chuipka, and Paula Orjuela.
At the time of the withdrawal, the Ministry of External Affairs made it clear that such measures were taken in response to the hostile environment created in Canada. The Indian government highlighted that the Canadian administration under Prime Minister Trudeau had fostered an atmosphere of extremism and violence, thereby jeopardizing the safety and security of Indian diplomats stationed there. By appointing Dinesh K Patnaik now, New Delhi appears to be making a calculated move to re-establish formal diplomatic representation in Ottawa, while also keeping a close watch on how bilateral relations evolve in the coming months.
