Odisha Diplomat Dinesh K Patnaik Named India’s New High Commissioner to Canada

New Delhi: India has named senior diplomat Dinesh K. Patnaik, currently serving as Ambassador to Spain, as the next High Commissioner to Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday. A 1990-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Patnaik is expected to assume charge shortly.

The move comes nearly 11 months after India withdrew its envoy Sanjay Kumar Verma from Ottawa in October 2024, amid escalating tensions under former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Relations had soured after Trudeau alleged in Parliament that India was linked to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Delhi dismissed the claims as “absurd and motivated,” accusing Ottawa of harbouring extremist, anti-India groups.

Following Ottawa’s decision to treat Indian diplomats as “persons of interest” in the Nijjar probe, New Delhi withdrew its High Commissioner and other officials, citing security concerns. The diplomatic row deepened further as Khalistani extremists targeted Hindu communities and temples in Canada, drawing sharp criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ties began to thaw after Mark Carney succeeded Trudeau as Prime Minister earlier this year. In June, Carney invited Modi to the G7 Outreach Summit in Kananaskis, where both leaders held what Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri described as a “very positive and constructive” bilateral meeting. They agreed to restore High Commissioners and revive stalled engagement mechanisms.

Both sides have since committed to resuming talks on trade, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, while also exploring cooperation in clean energy, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, food security and critical minerals.

Patnaik’s appointment signals the first concrete step in a calibrated reset of India-Canada ties after a period of unprecedented strain.