- Indian and Canadian tensions get tighter as India accuses the North American country of killing one of its separatist leaders.
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasizes India's importance to Canada despite making a statement that was reportedly provoking to the Indians.
The India-Canada row continues as the relations between the two countries continue to worsen. In fact, according to many analysts, they say that the relationship between the two countries is at an all-time low.
The primary issue between the two countries ranges from a lack of agreement on different issues and the recent killing of one of their citizens on Canadian soil. This is what made the Indian government place a ban on granting Canadians visas to the country.
What Happened?
Based on official sources, the Indian government banned Canadian citizens due to concerns over their country becoming a threat to Indian missions. This was reportedly due to the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. Additionally, comments made by the Prime Minister of Canada further angered Indian representatives and citizens, worsening the situation.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, recently suggested that India may have been responsible for the June 18th killing. However, he clarified that he did not intend to provoke India with this statement. India has since refuted these claims, dismissing them as "absurd" and unfounded.
While speaking to reporters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mr Trudeau said that India is a very important country. So, the current ban on Canadian citizens is a huge blow to the North American country.
"There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country we need to continue to work with," Justin Trudeau said.
The Prime Minister of Canada reiterated that he made the statements because he had to protect Canadian citizens despite breaking relations.
Canada and India Breaks Apart
As India bans Canada visas, the relationship between the two countries is at its lowest for the longest time. Apparently, the relationship between India and countries in North America, including the United States, isn't looking good.
A foreign affairs ministry spokesman in Delhi, while speaking to the press, said that Canada is proving to become a security threat for the country. According to this spokesperson, there were several threats to their embassy in Canada. Hence, they are stopping the processing of visas.
"There have been threats made to our high commission [embassy] and consulates in Canada. This has disrupted their normal functioning. Accordingly [they] are temporarily unable to process visa applications. India is looking for parity in rank and diplomatic strength between the diplomatic missions of the two countries. This is being sought because of Canadian diplomatic interference in our internal affairs," the Indian spokesperson said.
On the other hand, Canada has reported that they will be extensively reducing the number of their personnel working in India. The reason behind this is that they said some of their employees were receiving many threats on social media.
"In light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats," a statement revealed.
With regards to the murder of the Indian separatist, Arindam Bagchi said that they are waiting for Canada to release information, which they haven't done. "We have conveyed this to the Canadian side and made it clear to them that we are willing to look at any specific information that is provided to us. But so far we have not received any such specific information," he said.