India Lifts Visa Ban on Canadian Nationals
NEW DELHI (AP) — In an effort to ease tensions between India and Canada, India has announced the lifting of a visa ban that was imposed on Canadian nationals over a month ago. The ban was initially implemented after Canada raised allegations of Indian involvement in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada.
The Indian High Commission in Ottawa released a press statement stating that the country will resume services for entry, business, medical, and conference visas starting Thursday. However, emergency services will still be handled by the Indian High Commission and consulates in Toronto and Vancouver.
Last month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stirred up a diplomatic disagreement by stating that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in suburban Vancouver. Nijjar, a Sikh activist and plumber, was assassinated by masked gunmen in June.
India had previously accused Nijjar, a Canadian citizen born in India, of having links to terrorism, which he vehemently denied. Despite this controversy, Canada did not retaliate against India’s visa ban.
The easing of the visa ban by India comes shortly after Canada announced the recall of 41 out of its 62 diplomats in India. This decision was made in response to India’s warning that it would strip the Canadian diplomats of their diplomatic immunity, an act that Canada viewed as a violation of the Geneva Convention.
India maintains that its request for Canada to recall its diplomats was within its rights and does not breach international law. The Indian government has not set a deadline for the departure of the Canadian diplomats but expects Canada to match the number of Indian diplomats stationed in Canada.
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the Canadian State Department, emphasized the importance of diplomatic dialogue in resolving differences between the two nations. He urged the Indian government to cooperate with the ongoing Canadian investigation and not to insist on reducing Canada’s diplomatic presence in India.
