 "Muhammad Yunus, Justin Trudeau and Mohamed Muizzu. Reuters")
The year 2024 was nothing short of an eventful 365 days. A number of global phenomena shaped the year for the better or worse. From losses to victories to twists, this year unfolded in ways that were sometimes predictable and other times not.
India successfully got through another year of maintaining its stand on the world stage in 2024. The path, however, was not free of hiccups. The country did witness diplomatic ties go sour with a few countries but stormed every weather to protect its principles.
As the clock ticks closer to the end of 2024, here’s a look at five bilateral crises that India managed this year:
India-Canada
Ties between India and Canada have been strained since the pre-COVID era. But 2024 was the year went their ties hit rock bottom. The reason: Death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar was murdered in 2023 and in 2024, Ottawa accused India of employing hitmen to kill him on Canadian soil without providing any hard evidence.
Three Indian nationals were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to kill Nijjar. Later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that “evidence” showed that Indian government agents were involved in Nijjar’s death and that their activities “threaten public safety in Canada.”
In October, Canada expelled six diplomats over the murder allegations. India replied to Ottawa’s move by recalling its high commissioner Sanjay Verma and other Indian diplomats from the country.
The Khalistani issue is still a point of contention between the two countries and ties between the two can only be hoped to get better in the coming year.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia-US
New Delhi’s sore problem, the Khalistani issue found its way to the US as well in 2024. Back in October, the Federal Bureau of Investigation accused Indian agents of being involved in a botched plot to kill Khalistani terrorists and Sikh for Justice (SFJ) Chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Pannun, a US citizen, has made several incriminating statements against India and has threatened to attack the Indian Parliament and blow up India-bound flights to get his secessionist point across.
“The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the U.S. for exercising their constitutionally protected rights," FBI Chief Christopher Wray said at the time.
Earlier this year, a former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav was charged for allegedly overseeing the plan to kill Pannun. Another Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, has also been charged in the case.
India responded to the accusations by sending its own investigative team to Washington in October to probe Pannun’s assassination plot.
India-Maldives
Relations between India and Maldives went through a rollercoaster ride in 2024. First, the island country’s President Mohamed Muizzu centred his election campaign around the “India out” rhetoric which irked New Delhi. The two countries have gone back on forth on several issues including the economy, policies and Male’s bonhomie with China.
Indians make up more than half of Maldives’ tourists but for a country that depends on tourism, it could not help but vex India again. In January, three government ministers made derogatory comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The incident triggered a public outcry that led many Indians to boycott Maldivian tourism. As a result, the three officials were later fired from their posts.
A few months later, Muizzu made an official visit to India in an effort to mend ties, work on differences and get India to invest more in Maldives.
India approved a $400 million and a 30 billion rupee ($357.35 million) currency swap agreement, Modi said, adding that India was willing to provide extensive help to the Maldives to develop infrastructure.
India also extended emergency financial support to the Maldives by subscribing to its $50 million treasury bill at the request of Muizzu’s government, days after China agreed to strengthen trade and investment in the Indian Ocean nation.
India-Bangladesh
In a span of just a few months, Bangladesh’s government crumbled like a house of cards. It started with student protests which slowly turned so widespread that it led to the fall of India’s long-time ally Sheikh Hasina’s administration.
Hasina sought refuge in India after she fled from Dhaka as protestors stormed into the prime minister’s residence. Years of discontentment over her rule capitalised into the fall of her Awami League government.
With Hasina’s ouster, came a flurry of problems for the southeast Asian country, one of them being its depleting relationship with India. Under the former prime minister, minorities, especially Hindus, were relatively safe in Bangladesh.
However, under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, the situation for Hindus in Bangladesh turned for the worse with many facing religious persecution. Things came to a head in November when a Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested for allegedly desecrating the Bangladeshi flag. Protests ensued after the monk’s bail was denied and during these demonstrations many Hindus were killed, many temples were destroyed and many people were wrongfully detained.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attacks on Hindu temples and deities in Bangladesh, describing them as a “systematic pattern of desecration.” India urged Bangladesh to take strong measures against extremist elements to ensure the safety of its Hindu community.
India has also halted most visa issuances to Bangladeshi nationals, except for medical emergencies, and has withdrawn many of its citizens involved in infrastructure projects in Bangladesh due to safety concerns.
Nevertheless, with a desire to keep relations stable, the two sides have engaged in diplomatic talks with foreign secretaries from India and Bangladesh meeting in Dhaka to discuss the current situation.
India-China
The year 2024 was actually good for India and China relations. After years of animosity, the two countries reached a breakthrough to put an end to the constant skirmishes along the Indo-China border.
In October, both countries reached a pivotal agreement to de-escalate tensions along their disputed border along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This accord facilitated the disengagement of troops from critical friction points, notably in the Depsang Plains and Demchok regions, effectively restoring patrolling rights to the status quo prior to the 2020 confrontations.
After successfully pulling back their respective troops from the border, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first formal bilateral meeting in five years during the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, highlighting another point of strengthening ties between the two countries.
Additionally, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval engaged in high-level talks in Beijing, marking the resumption of the “special representatives dialogue” mechanism after a four-year hiatus.