Last Updated: September 19, 2023, 23:36 IST
Trudeau, on Monday, made claims regarding the Indian government’s hand being behind the June 2023 killing of the Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. (Image: PTI/File)
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, on Monday, made allegations regarding the Indian government’s hand being behind the June 2023 killing of the Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Amidst the ongoing tension between New Delhi and Ottawa, Canada on Tuesday, updated its travel advisory urging citizens to exercise “high degree of caution” while travelling to India citing terrorism threat.
“Exercise a high degree of caution in India due to the threat of terrorist attacks throughout the country, ” a notification on the Canadian government’s website read.
The advisory urged its citizens to avoid all travel to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir due to the “unpredictable security situation”. “There is a threat of terrorism, militancy, civil unrest and kidnapping This advisory excludes travelling to or within the Union Territory of Ladakh,” it added.
The advisory said travel to areas within 10 km of the border with Pakistan in Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan should be avoided due to the “unpredictable security situation and presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance”. However, the advisory excludes the Wagah border crossing.
Canadian government claimed “risk of terrorism and insurgency” in its advisory and urged its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Assam and Manipur.
Earlier today, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is not trying to provoke India by suggesting its agents were linked to the murder of a Khalistani terrorist but Ottawa wants New Delhi to address the issue properly.
#WATCH | Ottawa: Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau says, “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, we are simply laying out the facts as we understand them and we want to… pic.twitter.com/NyJbdxVJm6— ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2023
Trudeau, on Monday, alleged that the Indian government’s involvement in the June 2023 killing of the Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He was shot outside a Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.
India, on the other hand, rejected allegations by Canada calling them “motivated” and “absurd”.
Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat hours after Trudeau made the allegations. Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly told Canadian media outlets that her government has expelled a senior Indian diplomat over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In a retaliatory move, India on Tuesday expelled a senior Canadian diplomat. In a video, the Canadian High Commissioner was seen storming out of the Ministry of External Affairs Headquarters.