Diplomatic tensions between Canada and India are escalating. India suspends processing visa applications from Canadian citizens.
The BLS Canada visa processing center in Ottawa announced this on its website. The center cites “operational reasons”. The Indian Foreign Ministry has not commented on this development.
The crisis between Canada and India erupted on Monday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced in the House of Commons the Indian government’s possible role in the June killing of Sikh Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia.
The Indian Foreign Ministry reacted vehemently and described the Canadian government’s allegations as absurd.
These baseless allegations are intended to divert attention from Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have taken refuge in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Canadian government’s inaction on this issue has been a long-standing concern, said the press release from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar advocated for the creation of a state, Khalistan, that would also include Punjab, a Sikh-majority region shared between India and Pakistan. He was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency, an agency of the Indian government dedicated to combating terrorism.
Canada is home to the largest diaspora of members of the Sikh faith, 771,790 people according to the 2021 Canadian Census, ahead of the United Kingdom, which recorded 524,140 people in 2021.
Diplomats expelled
Open in full screen mode
An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard next to a police barricade outside the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, India. (archive photo)
Photo: Associated Press / Altaf Qadri
Both countries responded by expelling high-ranking diplomats.
On Tuesday, a day after his statement in the House of Commons, Justin Trudeau said he was urging India to take the matter seriously but that he was not seeking escalation with the world’s fifth economic power.
In its latest update on September 18, Global Affairs Canada urges travelers to exercise extreme caution in India due to the threat of terrorist attacks across the country.
With information from The Canadian Press