Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sep 21: In the midst of a diplomatic dispute between the two nations over allegations linking Indian government agents to the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June, India has suspended visa services for Canadian citizens until further notice.
BLS International, an online visa application centre in India that offers visa consultancy services, posted a notice on its website stating, “Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice. Please keep checking BLS website for further updates.”
The occurrences took place three days after the Canadian Prime Minister accused India of being involved in the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In his Monday speech to Parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that Indian agents were responsible for the shooting death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force.
Trudeau asserted that Canadian national security authorities had information suggesting that “agents of the Indian government” were responsible for the assassination of Nijjar, who also held the position of president at Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said.
India responded to Canada’s charges by calling them “absurd” and “motivated”.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a formal statement in which it stated, “We have seen and rejected the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister.”
