India Suspends Visas for Canadians as Row Escalates

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Facts

  • On Thursday, India stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in New Delhi amid an escalating diplomatic row over the murder of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil.1
  • Though it didn't provide any evidence, the Indian foreign ministry said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has taken the decision due to 'security threats' to its staff in its consulates in Canada that have 'disrupted their normal functioning.'2
  • The suspension of visa services also applies to Canadians in a third country 'because of Canadian diplomatic interference' in India's internal affairs. Canada's visa services remain open in India.3
  • Tensions have flared between the two countries after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that Ottawa was reviewing 'credible allegations' suggesting that India was potentially involved in the June assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in suburban Vancouver.4
  • Trudeau claimed that Indian government agents may have been responsible for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whom New Delhi had designated a 'terrorist' over his advocacy of an independent Sikh state.5
  • Dismissing Trudeau's charges, India accused Canada of providing shelter to 'Khalistani terrorists and extremists' who demand a separate Sikh homeland in India's northern state of Punjab.6

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Dawn.com, 3BBC News (a), 4BBC News (b), 5NBC and 6Al Jazeera.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The wire. Canada's allegations are serious and unprecedented in the country's history. If it's true that India was involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, then that gross violation of Canada's sovereignty must be met with swift and decisive action. Ottawa must get to the bottom of the matter, even if it means ruffling feathers in New Delhi.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Opindia. It's shameful that Canada is accusing New Delhi of killing Nijjar on foreign soil. Although Nijjar was a terrorist involved in a conspiracy to kill a Hindu priest, that doesn't mean India was complicit in his death. Canada must stop levying baseless allegations that detract from the real threat of secessionists who threaten India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Predictions