A spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry in New Delhi said Thursday that the country had suspended visa services for Canadian nationals due to security concerns at its Canadian consulates.
A few Canadian diplomats have received death threats on social media, prompting the Canadian high commission in India to announce that it would temporarily “adjust” personnel presence in the country.
Canada’s revelation that it was “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in June sparked the current moves.
Arindam Bagchi, telling reporters in New Delhi, “The security situation because of Canadian government’s inaction has resulted in disruptions and we have suspended visa applications,” encompassing all sorts of visas, including e-visas.
In its warning, the Indian mission in Canada cited “operational reasons” for the suspension of visa services “until further notice,” according to BLS International(BLSN.NS), an Indian company providing visa facilities.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has denied any involvement in the suspected murder.
Analysts say ties between the two countries have hit rock bottom after both countries expelled a diplomat.
In view of the current situation, where tensions have risen, the Canadian high commission has issued a statement saying that it is taking measures to protect its diplomats.
The department in charge of managing Ottawa’s diplomatic and consular affairs announced that it is “assessing its staff complement in India” after “some diplomats” there had received threats via social media.
It said, “As a result, and in an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily adjust staff presence in India,” without providing any detail.
Tit-for-tat travel advice were issued by both nations on Tuesday and Wednesday following the expulsion of senior ambassadors, with India advising its citizens, particularly students, to exercise “utmost caution” in Canada.
An economic risk
Trudeau’s statement that his government was looking into “credible allegations” that Indian government officials were involved in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia stoked tensions on Monday.
Canadian authorities are holding back on explaining why they suspect India in Nijjar’s death at this time.
The “growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada” referenced in New Delhi’s travel alert have not been substantiated.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc reassured Indian citizens hours after the alert was issued that Canada is a safe country to visit.
About 770,000 people in Canada identified as Sikh in the 2021 census, making it the country with the biggest Sikh population outside of the Indian state of Punjab.
Talks on a possible trade accord were halted last week due to the dispute.
Canada is the 17th largest foreign investor in India, and Canadian portfolio investors have poured billions of dollars into the Indian stock market and currency exchange.
As of the 2018 academic year, the majority of international students coming to Canada were from India.
According to the Canadian Bureau of International Education, the number of international students enrolled at Canadian universities and colleges increased by 47% in 2022, reaching nearly 320,000. This represented roughly 40% of all international students.
Experts predict a $6.5 billion increase in annual trade volume as a result of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Canada and India.
