Canada doesn’t invite India for G7 summit amid row over Hardeep Nijjar killing

India has not received an invitation so far for the upcoming G7 summit scheduled to take place between June 15 and June 17 in Canada, official sources told The Tribune on Monday.

“No advance preparations have been made ahead of a high-level dignitary visit such as that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making it clear that India will not participate in this year’s G7 summit in Canada. PM Modi has attended the summit for the past six consecutive years, making this the first time India will be absent from the event,” the sources said.

In international summits, the host country traditionally holds discretion over guest invitations, agenda setting and the overall tone of the summit. This allows the host to align the event with its priorities and foreign policy objectives.

The G7 comprises the world’s most industrialised economies — the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. The European Union (EU), the IMF, the World Bank and the UN are also invited to attend.

This year’s summit is being hosted by Canada, a country with which India’s relations have deteriorated following the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023. Tensions escalated after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of involvement in the incident, a claim India strongly rejected as “baseless”.

Last month, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on at least two occasions during briefings that there was “no information” regarding PM Modi’s visit to Canada for the G7 summit.