- Thursday, February 27, 2025
Canada and India expelled each other’s diplomats over allegations of interference.
By: Shubham Ghosh
IN yet another move suggesting its deteriorating relations with India, the Justin Trudeau government of Canada on Tuesday (19) updated its travel advisory asking Canadian citizens to avoid all travel to the northern Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “due to the unpredictable security situation”.
“Avoid all travel to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir due to the unpredictable security situation. There is a threat of terrorism, militancy, civil unrest and kidnapping. This advisory excludes travelling to or within the Union Territory of Ladakh,” Ottawa said in the advisory for India, marking it an “Exercise A High Degree Of Caution”.
Canadian prime minister Trudeau meanwhile said that while he was not planning to “provoke” India or “escalate” tension with the south Asian nation, he wanted the latter to take the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar with “utmost seriousness”, NDTV reported.
The Canadian premier, who was reportedly rebuked by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the recently held G20 summit in New Delhi over the growing anti-India activities on the Canadian soil, had alleged on Monday (18) involvement of “agents of the Indian government” in the murder of Nijjar in British Columbia in June.
Canada also expelled a senior Indian diplomat who was reportedly identified as an intelligence official and New Delhi also retaliated by giving marching orders to a senior Canadian diplomat within five days alleging the North American country’s interference in India’s internal affairs.
The Canadian side’s charges against India had raised eyebrows and the US, which is currently having a close relation with India, had said it was “deeply concerned” about the allegations. India has denied Canada’s allegations.
“We are not looking to provoke or escalate,” Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday. “We want to work with the Government of India to lay everything clear and to ensure there are proper processes.”
The issue over Khalistan activists and their anti-India stances in Canada has evolved as a major challenge to the two democracies’ bilateral ties. While their free-trade talks have been derailed as of now, a trade mission by the Canadian trade minister to India in October has also been postponed.
