BackNijjar killing row: ‘It's a safe country’, Canada rejects India's travel warning
Canada dismisses India's travel warning, says it is a safe country; India warns of growing anti-India activities and hate crimes in Canada.
PremiumIndia-Canada News: The Canadian government on Wednesday discarded India's travel warning for its citizens to exercise caution while traveling to Canada. “Canada is a safe country", said Canadian public safety minister Dominic Leblanc as quoted by Reuters.
The Ministry of External Affairs, in an official statement, said, “In view of growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals there and those contemplating travel are urged to exercise utmost caution."
“Recently, threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda. Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid traveling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents," the statement read.
“Threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda," the statement added.
Also Read: Live updates on India-Canada news
The move comes just days after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the country’s parliament that there were “credible allegations’’ linking India’s government to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent pro-Khalistan leader in Canada, in June this year. Trudeau’s speech caused immediate controversy as India denied the charges as “baseless" and “motivated".
Major world powers also weighed in on the controversy. “All countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law. We are in regular contact with our Canadian partners about serious allegations raised in the Canadian Parliament," said British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong struck a similar tone and pointed out that an investigation was ongoing.
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti called for close partners to cooperate in the investigation and called for those responsible to be held accountable. Garcetti also said that it was too early for America to consider playing a role in calming tensions between the two countries.
Prime Minister Trudeau also seemed to dial down his statements.
“The government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that; we are not looking to provoke or escalate," he said, speaking to reporters.
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