India suspends visa for Canadians, asks Ottawa to downsize missions

NEW DELHI: Describing Canada as a haven for terrorists, a characterisation it had used so far only for Pakistan, the government Thursday suspended visa processing services in the North American country saying Indian diplomats were unable to perform their duties because of the threats they faced from Khalistan forces.

Reiterating that Canadian diplomats were involved in anti-India activities, India also asked Canada to reduce its diplomatic strength here. The government said there had to be parity between diplomatic presence in both countries as Canada had a much stronger presence here than the other way around.

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Amid the raging diplomatic dispute over allegations by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau that India might be involved in the killing of Khalistan leader and Canadian national Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the government also suspended e-visa facility for Canadian citizens and said they won't be allowed to apply for Indian visa even from third countries. With Canada yet to provide any evidence or even information linking India to the killing, the Centre called Trudeau’s allegations ``politically motivated’’ and marked by prejudice as Canada had expelled an Indian diplomat only on the basis of allegations.

'Take action': India gives list of 20 Khalistan ultras to Canada

While India has asked Canada to reduce its staff strength, and the details are still being worked out, whether the government formally downgrades diplomatic ties will likely depend on how Canada reacts to the move. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India was ready to look into any specific piece of evidence or information from Canada, but so far nothing had been shared. India also called upon Canada to act on a list of more than 20 Khalistan terrorists it has shared with Canadian authorities several times in the past.

``We have provided very specific information to Canada but it has not been acted upon. We have shared the same list many times in the past too,’’ said Bagchi, adding that it’s Canada that needs to worry about any reputational harm as terrorism is being funded and supported and safe haven provided there.



``Canada’s reputation as a safe haven for terrorism and extremism is growing,’’ said the Indian official, adding that Canada’s inaction against such forces had forced India to stall visa operations. He said the main issue between the 2 countries was terrorism and called upon Canada to act against pro-Khalistan forces. While the US and Australia have said that they engaged India on Trudeau’s allegations, the Indian government is also in touch with close partners over the issue.

The last time India was involved in a diplomatic row of such intensity with a Western country was in 2013-14 with the US in the Devyani Khobragade case but India had then not asked the Americans to reduce the strength of their diplomatic missions here. In fact, in recent memory, India has only asked Pakistan to do so, in 2020, because of the involvement of Pakistani diplomats in, as India had then said, terrorist activities. On this occasion too, the government said Canada had been asked to cut staff strength because of their participation in anti-India activities.



The Canadian high commission also said it's looking to ``adjust'' staff presence in India but added it was because of the threats faced by Canadian diplomats in India. Canada, however, said its high commission and consulates remained functional and were serving clients.

``In light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats. With some diplomats having received threats on various social media platforms, Global Affairs Canada is assessing its staff complement in India. As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily adjust staff presence in India,’’ said the Canadian high commission, adding that it expected India to provide for the security of diplomats and consular officers in India in line with the Vienna conventions.

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