Posted on 09/21/2023 10:23:31 AM PDT by george76
India on Thursday suspended new visas for Canadians and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country, sharply escalating a spat triggered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusations linking New Delhi to a Sikh separatist's murder.
The Indian foreign ministry said Canada has not shared any specific information in connection with the allegations Trudeau made and that New Delhi was willing to look at it if provided.
A blanket suspension of new visas by India for a Western country is unheard of and marks the lowest point of India-Canada relations.
The announcement came hours after Canada's high commission in India said it would temporarily "adjust" staff presence in the country after some diplomats received threats on social media platforms.
...
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Ottawa had been asked to reduce numbers at its diplomatic missions in India to bring parity between the missions of the two countries.
Bagchi said India suspended issuing new visas to Canadian citizens due to "security threats" to its staff in its consulates in Canada.
...
The unprecedented tensions flared up on Monday after Trudeau said Ottawa was investigating "credible allegations" about the potential involvement of Indian government agents in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government denied any links to the alleged murder.
Canadian officials have so far declined to say why they believe India could be linked to Nijjar's murder.
The two countries, whose relations have been fraying in recent years over the issue of Sikh separatists, have since announced tit-for-tat expulsions of senior diplomats and issued tit-for-tat travel advisories.
Bagchi said India was "willing to look at any specific information, we have conveyed this to the Canadian side, made it clear to them...but so far, we have not received any such specific information".
Canada has discussed the issue with key allies such as the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance, which includes the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, with Washington, London and Canberra expressing concern.
Asked if any of these countries, with whom India also enjoys close ties, had raised the issue with New Delhi, Bagchi said: "We have been discussing with them, we have conveyed our position how we see these developments."
Bagchi also said Canada should be worried about damage to its reputation and not India, when asked about the risk posed by the row to New Delhi's global standing.
"If there is any country that needs to look at it, it is Canada, its growing reputation as a safe haven for terrorists, extremists and for organised crime," he said, adding that India had in vain sought action against more than 20 individuals.
THREAT TO TRADE TIES
Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside the northern Indian state of Punjab, with about 770,000 people reporting Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.
A bloody Sikh insurgency in the 1980s and 1990s in Punjab killed tens of thousands of people before it was suppressed. The separatists wanted the creation of an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.
Although there is hardly any support for the insurgency left in India, small groups of Sikhs in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States support the separatist demand and occasionally stage protests outside Indian embassies.
New Delhi, which remains wary of any revival of the insurgency, has long been unhappy over Sikh separatist activity in Canada.
Some Indian analysts say Ottawa does not curb Sikh protesters as they are a politically influential group.
The spat is also threatening trade ties, with talks on a proposed trade deal frozen last week.
Canada is India's 17th largest foreign investor, while Canadian portfolio investors have invested billions of dollars in Indian financial markets.
Since 2018, India has been the largest source country for international students in Canada, with their numbers rising 47% in 2022 to nearly 320,000.
Industry estimates show the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Canada and India could boost two-way trade by as much as $6.5 billion.
We managed to elect Joe Biden. We can hardly say anything about other countries now.
If Canuck tourists in Utah are any measure then the Canucks are the rudest, most arrogant people I encounter. Pack of snobs. They forget that they are simply America’s toupe.
At least the USA can claim a significant element of fraud, and Biden was imposed on them.
Trudeau doesn’t need fraud. He has a completely fagified population to support him.
In the 2021 election, the People’s Party opposed vaccine mandates, masks, lockdowns etc.
They got four percent of the vote.
Canada is so gone. States like NY and CA are right behind them, and the rest of the USA is in serious danger of going the same way.
That definitely doesn’t include Alberta. I’d say most of the west really.
We Albertans are discussing mass deportations.
LOL !
Then there are the fat Quebecers on the beach in Florida.
Tiny speedo and an extended session at the Salon de Bronzage.
I’ve been to Utah, you’d of not thought that. It’s a two way street though. If you’re a good original constitution God believing American, ie: a real American, we’d get along just great
Generalities can be fun but never accurate. I know Canada has plenty of people who aren’t a-holes. Like how the Western Provinces told Ottawa to shove their gun registry. Unfortunately I’ve run into to too many junior Trudeaus lately.
I don’t disagree with anything you say. But it is hard to throw stones when we are led by a mental defective that may get re-elected.
One thing that is worse about the USA.
Americans always take things to extremes. There is no sense of moderation.
So right now, in the USA, the elites have turned the volume on Wokeness and Diversity up to 11.
So the USA started as less leftist than Canada and the EU, but is rapidly accelerating past them.
If you make them go away, the free world will thank you.
It’s infuriating seeing the level of depravity these days.
How is that pro-India? And that is manifestly stupid here, since the person alleged to be assassinated is Sikh?
Evidently you’re not aware of the ever-increasing persecution of Christians in India, including by the national government.
The threats of violence on twitter are from the usual impotent loonies. Also, it started after the Canadian sponsored Sikh terrorists put out a video on You Tube threatening all Hindus in Canada with death. Video is not taken down yet.
Soros has already promised $1 Billion to unseat Modi last year. The Globalists who want Gandhi to win have been "pouncing" every year since 2005. Ending with lower seats every time.
Likely it’s a reaction to incidents such as this one:
Ayodhya: Pastor pressurises Indian Army soldier to convert to Christianity, beats and abuses him in Church; FIR registered
15 September, 2023
Keep in mind that India has a habit of falsely accusing Christians of proselytizing by force instead of just talking about Jesus openly.
This time I note that they engineered unification of opposition parties to take out Mr. Modi.
There will be a major effort IMHO and they will try to create extreme incidents like January 6th in the USA to get what they want.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.