On September 21, 2023, India announced the suspension of visa issuance for Canada due to an ongoing diplomatic dispute arising from Ottawa’s accusation that New Delhi was involved in the murder of a Sikh separatist near Vancouver.
BLS International, the visa service provider, posted a notice from the Indian Mission stating, “Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended until further notice.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged India to take the allegations of Indian involvement in the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar with the utmost seriousness. This accusation has led to a diplomatic exchange of expulsions and a strong denial from India, which deems any suggestion of its involvement in Nijjar’s murder as “absurd.”
The suspension of visa services comes on the heels of India’s foreign ministry expressing concern for the safety of its citizens in Canada, citing “politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence.” The ministry’s statement, issued the day before the visa suspension, highlighted threats targeting Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community that oppose anti-India agendas.
Indian nationals were advised to exercise caution and avoid traveling to regions and potential venues in Canada where such incidents have occurred. However, the advisory did not specify particular cities or locations to avoid.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fatally shot by two masked assailants outside the Sikh temple he presided over in Surrey, an outer suburb of Vancouver. Nijjar was an activist advocating for the establishment of Khalistan, a Sikh state. Indian authorities had wanted him for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder, although he denied these charges, according to the World Sikh Organization of Canada, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Canadian Sikh interests.
The Indian government has accused Ottawa of ignoring the activities of radical Sikh nationalists promoting the creation of an independent Sikh state in northern India.
Source: with agencies