India on Thursday suspended issue of visas to Canadian citizens “till further notice”. A notice by BLS International – a private agency hired for initial scrutiny of visa applications – said “Due to operational reasons… Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice”.

This comes as India and Canada are locked in an international row over Ottawa’s claim it has “credible allegations” linking agents of New Delhi to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan Sikh terrorist. India has rejected the allegation as “absurd” and “motivated”.

It is not yet clear if the suspension of visas is linked to that row.

Relations between India and Canada were already tense after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conversation with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau, at the G20 Summit in Delhi this month. 

The PM expressed India’s “strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities” in that country.

On Monday, Mr Trudeau said his country’s security agencies had information indicating “agents of the Indian government” had assassinated Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen. 

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada’s British Columbia in June. Hailing from Punjab’ Jalandhar, he was chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and one of India’s most wanted terrorists. There was a Rs 10 lakh cash reward for his capture or information leading to his arrest.

The reward was in connection with the killing of a Hindu priest in Punjab’s Jalandhar. 

Nijjar is also accused in a 2007 bombing case in Punjab and is believed to have ties to recent attacks on Indian diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. 

The Indian government “completely rejected” the Canadian PM’s allegations regarding its involvement in Nijjar’s death and underlined its concerns over their (Canada’s) political figures openly expressing sympathy for “such elements”.

“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Canadian government’s inaction has been a long-standing and continuing concern.”

As the row escalated, the two countries each expelled a senior official.

Ottawa ordered a senior official of the Research and Analysis Wing to leave the country and India ejected a diplomat for “interference… in internal matters and involvement in anti-India activities”.

The two nations also exchanged travel advisories.

Canada updated its India advisory this week to mirror that of the United States and it explicitly mentions Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, warning of “violent clashes between militants and security forces in the former” and “ethnic tensions” leading to “conflict and civil unrest”in the latter.

On Wednesday, shortly after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met PM Modi in the new Parliament building, India advised its citizens in Canada, and those contemplating travelling, to exercise “utmost caution” in view of anti-India activities and “politically-condoned” hate crimes.

New Delhi:

Khalistani terrorist Sukhdool Singh, also known as Sukha Duneke, was killed in Canada today in inter-gang violence, sources said. Duneke was part of the Khalistan movement in Canada.

Duneke was a “Category A” gangster from Punjab’s Moga who fled to Canada on a fake passport in 2017. He was a close associate of terrorist Arshdeep Dalla and is one of 43 gangsters with links to Khalistan and Canada mentioned in the list released by the anti-terror agency NIA yesterday.

Duneke’s killing comes in the backdrop of a huge diplomatic row between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons earlier this week that his government had “credible allegations” that linked Indian government agents to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in June.

India and Canada have expelled a senior diplomat each following Mr Trudeau’s accusations. India has denied the allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated.”

Nijjar, 45, was an Indian terrorist and chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), and was assassinated outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. He was one of India’s most wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh.

Yesterday, India issued a travel advisory for its citizens in Canada, a day after Canada updated its own advisory for India. India’s strong travel advisory warned of growing anti-India activity and “politically condoned hate crimes.” The advisory urged Indian citizens in Canada and those planning to travel there to exercise caution.

“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.  Recently, threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda,’ read India’s advisory. 

The Canadian government today rejected India’s travel advisory, saying that it is one of the safest countries in the world. 

Amid this standoff between the two nations, Punjab Police today launched a statewide crackdown on the associates of gangster Goldy Brar, who is accused of killing singer Sidhu Moosewala. 

According to the police, Brar has close links to the Khalistani separatist movement and is believed to be hiding in Canada.