India on Wednesday resumed e-visa services for Canadian nationals on Wednesday after a pause of over two months, according to several reports.
The services were suspended in September following a strain in ties between the two nations after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in the murder of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
With the latest move, all visa services, including tourist visas, have been resumed.
The step is seen as an attempt to reduce tensions between the two nations involved in a bitter spat since the Canadian PM’s accusations.
India resumes electronic #visa services for Canadian nationals after a nearly two-month pause.
— BQ Prime (@bqprime) November 22, 2023
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The decision comes ahead of Trudeau’s participation in the G20 Virtual headed by Indian PM Narendra Modi, the first virtual engagement between the two since the spat emerged.
India had halted the visa services until “further notice” in September. BLS International, a Canadian visa application centre, issued the following statement on its website: “Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, Indian visa services have been suspended with effect from 21 September 2023.”
Last month, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that India would resume issuing visas in Canada if Indian diplomats in the country are provided safety and security as per the Vienna Convention.
India partially restored visa services in some categories like entry, business, medical, and conference visas from 26 October. “After a considered review of the security situation that takes into account some of the recent Canadian measures in this regard, it has been decided to resume visa services,” the Indian High Commission in Ottawa said in its statement on 25 October. “Further decisions, as appropriate, would be intimated based on continuing evaluation of the situation,” the statement mentioned.
India and Canada have been embroiled in a diplomatic tussle since Trudeau said in September that 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.
India refuted the allegations, calling them “absurd and motivated,” asked Canada to reduce the size of its diplomatic mission in India and suspended visa services as the dispute spiralled.
Further, Trudeau accused India of violating the Vienna Convention by revoking the diplomatic immunity of 40 Canadian diplomats in India.
India has repeatedly asked Canada to provide evidence regarding the matter. Canada has failed to provide any evidence so far.
Last week, Jaishankar reiterated the demand during an event and said India was ready to investigate the allegations over Nijjar but wanted Canada to provide evidence to back its claims.