BackIndia-Canada news: Cancellation of OCI registration to suspension of visa. 10 updates
Canadian Defence Minister emphasizes India as an important partner amid strained relations; no evidence shared linking India to extremist's killing.
PremiumAmid the soaring ties with Canada, the country's Defence Minister has called "India" an important partner.
"We understand that this can be, and has proven to be, a challenging issue with respect to our relationship with India. But at the same time, we have the responsibility to make sure that we conduct a thorough investigation and get to the truth," Bill Blair told Global News.
The statement has come after a top US diplomat in Canada confirmed that there was “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners" that had prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s offensive allegation against India in the killing of a Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
Also read: India-Canada news LIVE updates: US provided Canada intelligence on Nijjar's murder
A high-ranking Indian security official has said that Canada has not shared any concrete evidence with India until now via diplomatic or intelligence channels that link India to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
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Here are the top-10 developments on the India-Canada row:
1. The Indian government is in the process of cancelling the registration of dozens of OCI card holders for carrying out pro-Khalistan activities and anti-India propaganda.
2. Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair has urged India, and Canada to start talking to find a common ground in view of the recent strain in relations.
3. A group of people staged a protest against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Jantar Mantar here, accusing him of supporting Khalistani separatists.
4. Canada to implement a ‘foreign policy reset’, shedding off its ‘middle-power approach’ and focussing more on ‘Indo-Pacific diplomacy’, Japan Times reported. Notably, a similar episode also led to a deteriorating trend in China-Canada relations, the report stated.
5. The US Ambassador to Canada said it was “shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners" that led the Trudeau administration to make the claim of a potential link between “agents" of the Indian government and the killing of separatist Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
6. The growing tensions between India and Canada have raised concerns among Indian parents whose children are studying in Canada with many stating that not only they are worried but their children are also unable to focus on their studies in Canada.
7. Indian probe agency has confiscated the properties of an alleged Khalistani militant Gurpatwant Singh Pannu whom it accuses of terror activities in India.
8. Last-minute airfares in India-Canada routes have gone through the roof. Direct flights between New Delhi and Toronto have crossed ₹1.46 lakh. It is more than ₹1.01 lakh on the Toronto-Delhi route.
9. India temporarily suspended visa services in Canada. BLS International, a visa processing firm, carried a notice from the Indian mission in Canada stating visa operations had been suspended till further notice.
10. Canadian authorities have not stopped issuing visas to Indian nationals looking to enter the North American country.
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