In an update to its travel advisory, Canada has asked its citizens to exercise a “high degree of caution” when travelling to India. According to the Canadian government’s official website, the update was made on September 18 at 2:48 p.m. ET. This coincides with Canada’s attempt to smear India by pointing the finger at the country and making allegations that the Indian state is involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Exercise extreme caution in India due to the threat of terrorist attacks across the country,” the official advisory said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seeking support and seeking to get other countries to join him. Trudeau tried to portray India in a bad light, but he was quickly snubbed by many world leaders.
At one point, the Canadian Prime Minister also tried to tone down his stance by saying that the massive accusations he levelled against India were not a provocation or any escalation.
“Canada is not trying to provoke India by suggesting that its agents were linked to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, but Ottawa wants New Delhi to address the issue appropriately,” he said on Tuesday, September 19, according to Reuters.
“The Indian government must take this issue with utmost seriousness. We are doing so, we are not seeking to provoke or escalate,” he was quoted as saying.
In response to a journalist who persisted in questioning him about the assassination of the Khalistani terrorist, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “Seriously, you should calm down a little bit.” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also refrained from preaching to India. His spokesman said his top priority was to conclude a trade deal with India.
All countries must respect sovereignty and the rule of law.
We are in regular contact with our Canadian partners regarding serious allegations raised in the Canadian Parliament.
It is important that Canada's investigation continues and that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) September 19, 2023
Earlier, banned Indian separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) said it would stage protests and shut down the Indian consulate offices in Canada in the coming week, Canadian media outlet Global News reported.
“We will not allow Indian consulates to function and we will pressure the Canadian government to name the individuals responsible for the assassination of Nijjar and the order to hit Nijjar,” Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani radical from Sikhs for Justice, told the media.
“He was assassinated outside the gurdwara – this was intended to send a very strong message to pro-Khalistani Sikhs that they will be hunted down, even in the Western world,” he added.
New Delhi reacted with strong words by castigating the Canadian government for its “motivated and absurd” statements. In line with its previous regular comments to Canada, New Delhi on Tuesday (September 18) reiterated and urged Ottawa to take action against ongoing anti-India activities in the country.
“The High Commissioner of Canada to India was summoned today and informed of the decision of the Government of India to expel a senior Canadian diplomat based in India. The diplomat concerned has been asked to leave India within the next five days,” an official statement read.
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