- Tuesday, April 22, 2025
One member told Canada’s CBC that the suspension will hurt many Indians living in Canada as they would have to forego travel plans.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA’s decision to suspend visa services to citizens of Canada in the wake of a diplomatic tussle with the government of the country has put many people in trouble and they are hoping that the tension over the killing of Khalistan separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on the Canadian soil de-escalates fast.
Among those who have found themselves in trouble are members of the Indian community of Canada’s Manitoba province.
Priyanka Singh, chief of the India Association of Manitoba told Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that the step to suspend visa services is an “extreme step” and hoped that the issue got resolved quickly.
New Delhi’s move came after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian government agents’ link with the killing of Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Surrey in British Columbia in June. Both sides expelled each other’s diplomats and an angry India also accused Canada of sheltering Khalistan separatists besides suspending visa services.
It also rejected Trudeau’s allegations even though the CBC cited sources as saying that the Canadian government has intelligence evidence linking Indian officials with Nijjar’s death.
As India stopped the visa services, India’s visa application centre in Canada, BLS International Services Canada, suspended its visa services till further notice. The agency has a presence across the country, including Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba.
Singh told CBC that the suspension will hurt many Indians living in Canada as they would have to forego travel plans. She herself also had plans to visit India in December and said everybody was looking for a quick turnaround in the situation.
For Rajbir Singh of the Sikh Society of Manitoba, it is a “day by day” thing. He told the news outlet that the local Sikh community should treat the situation between the two countries as it comes. He also said the Canadian prime minister’s charges against India could be “scary” to understand and urged Manitoba’s Sikhs to stay calm.
“I think in this kind of case, it’s smartest that we … see what is the most great, clear-cut response that we can give as the situation progresses without jumping the gun,” he was quoted as saying by CBC.
Sikh Heritage Manitoba said in a statement that it looks to highlight the importance of diplomacy and dialogue between Ottawa and New Delhi.
“Open communication between nations is vital in maintaining strong bilateral relationships and upholding the principles of justice we hold dearly as Canadians,” a spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The body also asked the Indian government to cooperate with Canada to make sure a probe into Nijjar’s death is “thorough and impartial”.
