India Canada diplomatic row live updates: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged a “potential link” between “agents of the Government of India” over Khalistan separatist's killing and a senior Indian diplomat was expelled from the country. India later retaliated by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat. (File)India-Canada diplomatic row Highlights (September 22): A Canadian media report said that their government has collected “human and signals intelligence” in a “months-long investigation” before accusing the Indian government of potentially having a role in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. However, India has said that the Canadian government has not shared any specific information on the killing, adding that if they were to do so, New Delhi would be willing to look into it.
With India and Canada in the middle of a worsening standoff over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Thursday “called upon the government of India to take this matter seriously” and “work to shed full transparency and ensure accountability and justice in this matter.”
Meanwhile, Canada has released a statement saying that they are temporarily adjusting staff presence and added High Commission and all consulates in India are open and operational. New Delhi also stopped visa services in the North American country today. This comes a day after India issued a strongly-worded advisory to Indian nationals in Canada warning against “anti-India activities” and “politically-condoned hate crimes”.
"In view of growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals there and those contemplating travel are urged to exercise utmost caution," the earlier advisory reads.
“I have been advised not to go on outings or post anything on social media or engage in political discussions,” a 21-year-old Chandigarh-based resident, who is studying in Canada, told The Indian Express amid a stand-off between India and Canada. The student received the word of caution from his parents just like many other Chandigarh students who now live in Canada.
The student, who lives in Surrey, on condition of anonymity said, “Our parents are anxious and have advised us to avoid outings. My parents have strictly asked me to stay away from confrontations.” Read here
Amid the ongoing India-Canada diplomatic row, the Congress on Friday reiterated that the fight against terrorism has to be uncompromising and called for "intensive diplomatic engagement" to resolve the "serious crisis", while ensuring security of Indians in that country. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also asserted that the security of thousands of Indian students and professionals studying and working in Canada must be protected at all times. (PTI)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent assertions regarding the involvement of Indian agencies in the murder of Sikh radical leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has led to diplomatic relations between both the countries souring.
As the diplomatic standoff plays out, permanent resident (PR)s of Canada visiting India and those with work permits in that country are keeping their fingers crossed. The Indian Express speaks to a few permanent residents of Canada to get an understanding of the current row on their lives. Read here.
The unprecedented escalation of tensions with Canada — a first-of-its-kind situation in the history of India’s diplomatic relations with the West — has triggered concerns over potential ripple effects in a range of areas including trade and people-to-people ties.
This is especially because the connections between the two countries are old and deep, and Canada is home to more Sikhs as a percentage of the national population than even India. Read on for some snapshots of India’s ties with Canada, in five points.
India and Canada are dealing with an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, which can have political as well as geopolitical consequences.
New Delhi has in essence been accused of the extra-judicial killing of a foreign citizen in a foreign land. Only a fair, impartial, and credible investigation can establish the truth or otherwise of Trudeau’s allegation. If Canada can provide compelling evidence, it could potentially damage India’s post-G20 reputation as a strong voice for democracy and a global consensus builder. But India remains innocent until proven guilty. (Read more)
Canada's public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc said all Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities.
The relationship between India and Canada turned frosty earlier this week after PM Trudeau, speaking in the Canadian Parliament, said that the Indian government was potentially involved in the Nijjar killing in British Columbia's Surrey. India has rejected the allegations as "absurd and motivated", and the two nations have expelled a high-ranking diplomat each in a tit-for-tat move.
In a sign of escalating tensions, India has suspended visa services in Canada as of Thursday, affecting travel plans of Canadian nationals who intended to visit India, but did not have a visa yet (Here's a quick primer on what happens next). While speaking to the media later that day at the UNGA, Trudeau had side-stepped questions on whether his government would be matching the move.
Canada has no place for acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear, its government said on Friday, as a video of Hindu Canadians being told to leave the country gained traction online.
On Thursday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the media that the US is in touch with Canadian and Indian officials at the highest levels on the matter. He added that Washington is giving India no "special exemption" in the matter.
"As soon as we heard from the Canadian Prime Minister publicly about the allegations, we went out publicly ourselves and expressed our deep concern about them, our support for a law enforcement process to get to the bottom of exactly what happened, and to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable," he said. (Read more)
US President Joe Biden and other leaders had conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi their concern on the Canadian PM's claims, when the leaders had attended the G20 summit earlier this month, reported the Financial Times.
Biden had felt it was important to raise the issue directly with his Indian counterpart, the report said, quoting an unnamed person familiar with the discussions at the G20 summit.
The report said that several members of the 'Five Eyes' had raised concerns surrounding Nijjar's killing on Canadian soil, and said that this came after Canada urged its allies to raise the issue with PM Modi directly, but in private.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Thursday said the decision to publicly accuse the Indian government of involvement in the killing of a Khalistani extremist leader was not made "lightly" as a Canadian media report said that their government has collected "human and signals intelligence" in a "months-long investigation" into the matter.
"The decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons was not done lightly,” Trudeau said, speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. "There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with." (Read more)
"There is no question, India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with not just in a region but around the world and we are not looking to provoke or cause problems but we are unequivocal about the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about of the importance of protecting Canadians and standing up for values. That's why, we call upon the govt of India to work with us to establish processes to uncover the truth of the matter and to allow justice and accountability to be served," says Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau in his latest statement on Thursday evening said, "I had a direct and frank conversation, with the Prime Minister (Modi), in which I shared my concerns in no uncertain terms...We call upon the government of India to take seriously this matter and to work with us to shed full transparency and ensure accountability and justice in this matter. We are a country of the rule of law. We are going to continue to do the work necessary to keep Canadians safe and to uphold our values and the international rules-based order. That's our focus right now."
Amid the escalating diplomatic row between India and Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday cited Ottawa’s “interference in internal matters” and said there should be a parity in diplomatic staff strength.
The MEA statement comes hours after the Canadian government announced that it would be “temporarily” adjusting its staff presence in India to “ensure the safety of its diplomats”.
Addressing a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “Their numbers here are very much higher than India’s diplomatic presence… We have seen Canadian diplomatic interference in our internal affairs. This is being taken into account and parity is being sought in rank and diplomatic strength.”
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"The Parliament is in session, so we demand that the Modi government should have a debate on the issue," says AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
Answering a question on the parity of diplomatic presence between India and Canada, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India has seen Canadian diplomatic interference in its internal affairs.
'Safe haven is being provided in Canada, we want the Canadian government to not do so and take action against those who have terrorism charges or send them here to face justice...We've sought either extradition request or assistance related to that, at least more than 20-25 individuals we've requested over the years but the response has not been helpful at all,' Bagchi said.
"The issue is not about travel to India. Those who have valid visas, OCIs are free to travel to India. The issue is the incitement of violence, inaction by Canadian authorities and the creation of an environment that disrupts the functioning of our consulates which is what is making us stop temporarily the issuance of visa services. We will review this situation on a regular basis," MEA spokesperson said.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "If you're talking about reputational issues and reputational damage, if there's any country that needs to look at this, I think it is Canada and its growing reputation as a place, as a safe haven for terrorists, for extremists, and for organized crime. And I think that's a country that needs to worry about its international reputation."
"Yes, I do think there is a degree of prejudice here. They have made allegations and taken action on them. To us, it seems that these allegations by government of Canada are primarily politically driven", MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We've informed the Govt of Canada that there should be parity in strength in our mutual diplomatic presence. Their number is very much higher than ours in Canada, so I assume there will be a reduction from the Canadian side."
With India and Canada in the middle of a worsening standoff over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, MEA spokesperson Arindham Bagchi, in its latest media briefing, said that Canada has shared no specific intel on the case yet.
He added, "From our side, specific evidence about criminal activities by individuals based on the Canadian soil has been shared with Canada but not acted upon."
The MEA spokesperson will shortly begin its weekly media briefing.
With India and Canada in the middle of a worsening standoff over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met with Home Minister Amit Shah, and urged for a “quick resolution”.
"The current situation between India and Canada is now affecting the people of Indian origin living in Canada...A panic-like situation is developing among the people. The government of India should find a solution soon. I have requested this from Home Minister Amit Shah," he said, reported ANI.
"Due to operation reasons, with immediate effect i.e. 21 September 2023, Indian visa services in Canada have been suspended till further notice," visa centre BLS International writes in a statement.
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s security team allegedly caused ‘unease’ among Indian security agencies during the recent G20 summit in Delhi after they refused to let him stay in the presidential suite of a hotel, police sources said on Thursday. As per police, the presidential suite was specially booked for the head of the state during the summit.
Trudeau and his contingent stayed at the Lalit Hotel in New Delhi. Sources said a separate suite was booked for him during the summit, in compliance with the Delhi Police’s security arrangements for presidents and world leaders. However, sources have now revealed that the Canadian Prime Minister did not stay at the suite and his security team booked him a normal room instead.
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After India halted visa services, Canada on Thursday clarified that its High Commission and Consulates in India would continue to be open and operational. However, to ‘ensure the safety of its diplomats’, the Canadian government has announced it will be “temporarily” adjusting its staff presence in the country.
“With some diplomats having received threats on various social media platforms, Global Affairs Canada is assessing its staff complement in India,” the High Commission said.
“As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily adjust staff presence in India. All of our locations are staffed by diplomats and locally-engaged staff to ensure business and operational continuity,” the statement read. The High Commission further called on India to “provide for the security of our accredited diplomats and consular officers in India, just as we are for theirs here.” Read more
Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya, from Trudeau’s own party slammed the government for apparently permitting hate crimes under the guise of freedom of speech and expression in the backdrop of the diplomatic row. In a video message Arya said, “I can’t understand how glorification of terrorism or a hate crime targeting a religious group is allowed in the name of freedom of speech and expression.”
Arya pointed out recent events where Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, president of the banned organisation Sikhs for Justice, openly attacked Hindu Canadians, urging them to leave Canada and return to India. Arya said this is an attempt by the Khalistan movement leader to incite reactions from Hindu Canadians and create divisions within the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada.
He said, “Let me be clear. The vast majority of our Canadian Sikh brothers and sisters do not support the Khalistan movement. Most Sikh Canadians may not publicly condemn the Khalistan movement for several reasons, but they are deeply connected to the Hindu-Canadian community. Canadian Hindus and Sikhs are connected through family relationships and shared social and cultural ties.” Read more
Relations between Canada and India are at their lowest ebb. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement to Canadian lawmakers alleging that Indian agents killed Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar this June has caused relations to plunge to a fresh low. Diplomats have been expelled. There is little hope of reconciliation which will now require both sides to have a serious, open and layered political dialogue over the role of Canada’s Indian diaspora, their politicisation, and its effects on Canada-India relations. The current impasse has been precipitated by Nijjar’s murder. Yet, the real culprit is a toxic form of diaspora politics that involves Canadian political parties engaging with and appeasing groups and their jaundiced views of their countries of origin because of their ostensible political value.
Canada-India relations have see-sawed over the last 50 years. During the Cold War, bonhomie developed between Ottawa and New Delhi due to their shared commonwealth status and convergent views on the importance of the United Nations, multilateralism, and advancing global development. Differences over Cold War crises in Korea, Hungary, and Vietnam strained the relationship. India’s nuclear programme tested ties further. In the 1980s, Ottawa’s interest in India was rekindled by rising Indian immigration. With limited prospects for trade or security relations, there was no basis for meaningful diplomatic engagement. Since then, however, much work has gone into reviving the relationship from its nadir in 1998, following Ottawa’s repudiation of India’s nuclear power status. Investment and trade form the heart of the relationship now, with considerable scope for growth. These issues and the bilateral relationship are held hostage by specific diaspora elements that harbour a deep hatred toward India, abhor its territorial unity and strive to Balkanise it. Karthik Nachiappan writes
Punjab’s rival gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, in separate Facebook posts on Thursday, have claimed responsibility for the killing of Sukhdool Singh Gill alias Sukha Duneke in Canada’s Winnipeg.
Duneke, an alleged ally of the Bambiha gang, was shot dead by unidentified assailants Wednesday. Duneke was wanted in Punjab in cases of extortion, attempt to murder and murder.
Earlier today, Lawrence Bishnoi shared a post saying that he was responsible for killing Duneke. “Sukhdool had murdered our brother Gurlal Brar and was also behind the killing of Vicky Middukhera as well as kabaddi player Sandeep Nagal Ambian,” Bishnoi said in his post. Read more
The India-Canada diplomatic row escalated as New Delhi stopped visa services in Canada on Thursday. The announcement was made on the website of the visa facility website of the Indian High Commission in Canada. This comes a day after India issued a strongly worded advisory to Indian nationals in Canada, warning against “anti-India activities” and “politically-condoned hate crimes”.
It all began with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegation of a “potential link” between “agents of the Government of India” and the killing of a Khalistan separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in the North American country earlier this year. In a tit-for-tat move after Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat, India also expelled a Canadian counterpart. Read more
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