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NEW DELHI — Canada’s embassy in India said Thursday it would “temporarily adjust staff presence” to protect its diplomats from threats, as a dispute between the two countries escalates over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia.
The Canadian High Commission in India said in an email that it was taking this action after some diplomats “received threats on various social media platforms” and “in light of the current environment where tensions have heightened.”
The statement followed a travel advisory from India’s Foreign Ministry urging its citizens to “exercise utmost caution” when traveling in Canada. An Indian visa application center on Thursday also posted “an important notice from the Indian mission” on its website which said visa services for Canadian citizens were suspended.
India expels Canadian diplomat as dispute over alleged assassination escalates
Tensions are rising after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India may have been behind the shooting of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and Canada expelled an Indian diplomat it identified as a senior intelligence officer.
Since Trudeau’s explosive speech to Parliament, the dispute this week has resulted in a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats and brought relations down to their lowest point.
India has denied Trudeau’s accusation, describing it as “absurd and motivated” while accusing Canada of an anti-Indian agenda.
In its travel advisory, India’s External Affairs Ministry cited what it said were “anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes” in the country. “All Indian nationals there and those contemplating travel are urged to exercise utmost caution,” the ministry said.
Dominic LeBlanc, the Canadian Minister of Public Safety, dismissed the advisory, calling Canada a safe country. “I took note of India’s travel advisory. People can read into that what they want,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Indian anger against Canada grows over perceived support of separatist Sikhs
BLS International, the Indian company offering visa facilities, cited “operational reasons” for the suspension of visa services “till further notice,” without elaborating.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to offer immediate comment on Thursday.
Canada’s High Commission in India said the embassy and all consulates in India remained open, operational and serving clients despite the staffing changes.
“We expect India to provide for the security of our accredited diplomats and consular officers in India, just as we are for theirs here,” it said in an emailed statement on Thursday.
A Canadian citizen who was born in India, Nijjar was shot dead in June by masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh separatist killed in Canada?
He served as a leader in Canada’s Sikh diaspora and supported a movement known as Khalistan calling for the establishment of a sovereign state for the Sikh population in Punjab.
India has long accused the Canadian government of sympathizing with Sikh separatists such as Nijjar, whom it considered a terrorist, while Canada has denied those claims.
Francis reported from London. Karishma Mehrotra in New Delhi and Andrew Jeong in Seoul contributed to this report.
Understanding India-Canada relations
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Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/21/india-suspends-visa-canada-travel-advisory/