India halts visa services to Canadians amid diplomatic tension
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Both nations expel one official, update travel advisory
India on Thursday put a halt to issuing visas to Canadians until further notice. BLS International, a private agency handling initial visa checks for Canadians, cited "operational reasons" for the suspension.
The move comes at a time when relations between India and Canada are strained due to allegations linking India to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan activist, reports NDTV.
India has strongly denied the claims, calling them "absurd” and “motivated”.
It is unclear whether the visa suspension is directly related to this row.
Earlier this month, tension had already risen between the two countries after conversations between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G20 Summit in Delhi this month.
Modi voiced India's concerns about ongoing anti-India activities in Canada. Trudeau, on the other hand, said on Monday that Canada had evidence pointing to Indian agents being involved in Nijjar's killing.
India firmly dismissed claims about its role in Nijjar's death and voiced concern over Canadian politicians openly sympathizing with "such elements."
India said that these baseless claims divert attention from Khalistani extremists living in Canada who pose a threat to India's national security and that the lack of action from the Canadian government remains a continuous issue for India.
Amid escalating tensions, both countries have expelled one senior official each.
Canada revised its travel advisory for India this week, aligning it with the US advisory. It specifically warned about potential violent encounters between militants and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, and ethnic conflicts causing unrest in the northeast.
On Wednesday, after a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and PM Modi, India warned its citizens in Canada, and those considering travel there, to be highly cautious due to anti-India activities and politically sanctioned hate crimes.
Nijjar, 45, was killed by gunshot outside a gurdwara in British Columbia, Canada, in June. Originally from Jalandhar in Punjab, he led the prohibited Khalistan Tiger Force and was among India's most wanted terrorists. A ₹10 lakh cash reward had been offered for information leading to his capture or arrest.
Nijjar was also implicated in a 2007 bombing in Punjab and is suspected of links to recent attacks on Indian embassies in the UK, US, and Canada.