Dinesh K Patnaik appointed India's next high commissioner to Canada

New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) Seasoned diplomat Dinesh K Patnaik was on Thursday appointed as India's new high commissioner to Canada with both sides looking at rebuilding bilateral ties that came under severe strain following the killing of a Sikh separatist in 2023.

Patnaik, a 1990-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as India's ambassador to Spain.

"He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a brief statement.

In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney agreed to pursue "constructive" steps to restore stability in India-Canada ties including the early return of envoys to each other's capitals.

Ties between India and Canada plummeted to an all-time low following a diplomatic spat over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis on June 17, Modi and Carney focused on repairing the frosty bilateral ties.

The India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Nijjar.

In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case.

India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.

However, Liberal Party leader Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April helped in beginning the process to reset relations. PTI MPB KVK KVK