Last month, the external affairs ministry had called on Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff in India amid the ongoing row that erupted following Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau‘s allegation linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case. Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in India, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada’s Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.
Why Justin Trudeau’s Nijjar allegations put Canada’s intelligence agencies under the scanner
India has also suspended its visa services in Canada, following Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegations. Amid strained ties, India issued an advisory for its citizens and those who are travelling to Canada to exercise “utmost caution in view of growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence” in the country.
Earlier, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had asserted that if Canada has something specific or relevant relating to the assassination of Nijjar, India is open to looking at it.
During his visit to US, the minister had highlighted the “organised crime, mixed with secessionism, violence, terrorism” in Canada and shared his concerns over the safety of diplomats in the country.