India has suspended visa services for Canadian nationals indefinitely after tensions between the two nations rose following PM Justin Trudeau’s claim that India was involved in the execution of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India Suspends Visa Services For Canadians
BLS International, a Canadian visa application centre, issued the following statement on its Canadian website: “Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, Indian visa services have been suspended with effect from 21 September 2023 till further notice,” read a notification on the official website of ‘India Visa Application Center Canada.’
BLS International, the online visa application centre in India, issues statement regarding suspension of Indian visa services to Canada nationals. pic.twitter.com/zBHUFWHcyn
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 21, 2023
The notice claimed “operational reasons” for the suspension of visa applications. According to a Reuters report, BLS International has withdrawn the notification concerning the suspension of visa services, but the ticker is still visible on their website.
Meanwhile, as reported by Reuters, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson did not respond to questions on the matter. Reports indicate that India suspended visas for the first time since the Covid-19 epidemic.
The suspension comes after an advisory issued by India on Wednesday, in which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) advised Indian nationals to avoid travelling to areas and possible locations in Canada where such instances can occur.
India’s MEA Issues Travel Advisory
The MEA issued a travel advisory on Wednesday, noting that Indian diplomats and certain sections of the Indian population in Canada were also being targeted in campaigns carried out by Khalistan sympathisers.
In the travel advisory, the Government issued a travel warning to all of its citizens in Canada, advising them to take caution in view of growing “anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada,” targeting Indians.
Furthermore, the government specifically warned Indian students to be extremely cautious and vigilant.
Tensions Between India and Canada
Earlier this week, Trudeau said his government was looking into “credible allegations” that Indian government agents were involved in Nijjar’s death outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia, this year in June.
The allegations heightened after Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced the expulsion of Pavan Kumar Rai, a diplomat at India’s High Commission in Ottawa. She also revealed that Rai is the station commander of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
In response, India dismissed a top Canadian diplomat on Tuesday and ordered him to leave within five days.
The Canadian High Commission in India informed The Hindu on Thursday that Canada had “temporarily adjusted” its staff presence in India due to the current diplomatic turmoil. The clarification came amid rumours that local employees at Canadian embassies in India had been instructed to go on leave.
Meanwhile, the Canadian mission also reminded the Government of India of its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, which guarantees the protection of foreign diplomats, and stated that “we expect India to provide for the security of our accredited diplomats and consular officers in India, just as we are for theirs here.”
Nijjar was assassinated in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara he was on his way to in Surrey, British Columbia. He was the provincial leader of the separatist organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Reportedly, SFJ accused India of the assassination.