Murder of Sikh leader
India has issued a warning to its citizens against visiting certain parts of Canada amid an ongoing diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
The conflict revolves around Canada’s allegations that India was involved in the assassination of a Sikh leader. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian national, and a support of Khalistan movement was shot dead in Ottawa in June this year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called on India to treat these allegations with the utmost seriousness. Canada also warned India of a series of retaliatory diplomatic expulsions.
The ministry issued a statement advising Indian nationals to avoid traveling to regions and venues in Canada where such incidents have occurred.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fatally shot by two masked assailants outside a Sikh temple in Surrey. It is a suburb of Vancouver in British Columbia.
Nijjar was known for his support of the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland in India’s northern state of Punjab. It shares a border with Pakistan and is the birthplace of Sikhism.
India warned its citizens not to visit Canada after murder of Sikh leader.
Canada-USA coordinate to establish Indian involvement in murder of Sikh leader Nijjar
Meanwhile, The Canadian and the US officials worked with collaboration to ascertain the connection of Indian government’s involvement in murder of a Sikh leader in Canada.
A senior Canadian government official disclosed that Canada and the United States had a very close collaboration in investigating intelligence that suggested potential involvement of Indian operatives in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia earlier this year.
Furthermore, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi stated that Canada’s allegations of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh leader was not surprise for Pakistan. He said that India had engaged in sabotage activities in Pakistan for decades.
Qazi addressed the media at Pakistan’s mission to the United Nations and asserted that if Canada’s prime minister accused India of being involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s assassination, the claim could not be baseless.
He further noted that this statement was unsurprising, considering India’s history of attempting to destabilize Pakistan. Qazi also pointed out that Pakistan currently held a serving officer from the Indian navy in custody on charges of espionage and sabotage.
