India suspends visa service in Canada

  • September 22, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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India suspends visa service in Canada

Subject :IR

Section: Bilateral Relations

Context: Canadian PM’s statement in the Canadian parliament alleging that Indian agents killed Pro-Khalistani Hardeep Singh Nijjar has caused India-Canada relations to plunge to a fresh low.

More about the news:

  • Hardeep Singh Nijjar, leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and wanted by the Indian government, was fatally shot outside a Surrey gurdwara in June.
  • The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had placed a Rs 10 lakh reward on Nijjar in 2022 for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate a Hindu priest in Jalandhar, Punjab.
  • At the G20 Summit in Delhi, the Canadian Prime Minister and Indian Prime Minister discussed Khalistani extremism.The Canadian PM raised concerns about foreign interference in Nijjar’s murder and requested India’s cooperation in the investigation.
  • The Indian PM expressed deep concerns about ongoing anti-India activities by extremist elements in Canada during the meeting.
  • The situation escalated when the Canadian Prime Minister accused “agents of the Indian government” in the killing and expelled the top Indian diplomat from Canada.
  • In retaliation, the Government of India summoned the High Commissioner of Canada to India and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat from India and further India suspended visa service in Canada.
  • India asked Canada to cut the number of its diplomats in India.

What is the impact of Visa Suspension:

  • Canadian nationals who intend to visit India, but who do not have an Indian visa yet, will be impacted.
  • This group would include mainly Canadian tourists, business travellers, and students.
  • Impact on Indian-origin Canadians with OCI cards
    • Indian-origin Canadians who have a valid Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, or a valid long-term visa for India, will not be impacted by the suspension of visa services.
    • OCI cards allow holders lifetime entry into India, and to live and work in the country indefinitely.
  • Impact on Canadians who already have a valid Indian visa
  • Canadians with a valid Indian visa will not be impacted by the Indian government’s latest decision.
  • As of now, their visa stands. They have not been cancelled yet.

Some details about India- Canada Consulate:

  •  Canada has a High Commission in New Delhi and Consulates in Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
  •  It also has Trade Commissioner Service offices – a total of eight – in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
  • India has a High Commission in Ottawa and Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver.

What is the Khalistan movement:

  • It is a Sikh separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state, called Khalistan (‘Land of the Khalsa’), in the Punjab region.

What is the Timeline of the Khalistan Movement:

  • India’s Independence and Partition:
    • The origins of the movement have been traced back to India’s independence and subsequent Partition along religious lines.
    • The Punjab province, which was divided between India and Pakistan, saw some of the worst communal violence and generated millions of refugees.
    • Lahore, the capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s great Sikh Empire, went to Pakistan, as did holy Sikh sites including Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.
  • Demand for Autonomous Punjabi Suba:
    • The political struggle for greater autonomy began around the time of Independence, with the Punjabi Suba Movement for the creation of a Punjabi-speaking state.
    • In 1966, after years of protest, Punjab was reorganized to reflect the Punjabi Suba demand.
    • The erstwhile Punjab state was trifurcated into the Hindi-speaking, Hindu-majority states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, and the Punjabi-speaking, Sikh-majority Punjab.
  • Anandpur Sahib Resolution:
    • In 1973, Akali Dal, the major force in the new Sikh-majority Punjab, released a list of demands that would guide the political path among other things, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution demanded autonomy for the state of Punjab, identified regions that would be part of a separate state, and sought the right to frame its own internal constitution.
    • While the Akalis themselves repeatedly made it clear that they were not demanding secession from India, for the Indian state, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution was of grave concern.
  • Bhindranwala:
    • Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a charismatic preacher, soon positioned himself as “the authentic voice of the Sikhs, in contrast to the Akali Dal’s leadership.
    • It is believed that Bhindranwale was propped up by Sanjay Gandhi to stand against the Akalis for Congress’s political benefit. However, by the 1980s, Bhindranwale had grown so much that he started to become a problem for the government.
  • Dharam Yudh Morcha:
    • In 1982, Bhindranwale, with support from the Akali Dal’s leadership, launched a civil disobedience movement called the Dharam Yudh Morcha. He took up residence inside the Golden Temple, directing demonstrations and clashes with the police.
    • The movement was geared towards the demands first articulated in the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, which addressed concerns of the state’s rural Sikh population. However, amidst growing religious polarization, sectarian violence, and Bhindranwale’s own harsh rhetoric against Hindus, Indira Gandhi’s government declared the movement tantamount to secession.
  • Operation Bluestar:
    • Operation Blue Star began on 1st June 1984, but due to fierce resistance from Bhindranwale and his heavily armed supporters, the Army’s operation became larger and more violent than had been originally intended, with the use of tanks and air support.
    • Bhindranwale was killed and the Golden Temple was freed of militants, however it gravely wounded the Sikh community around the world.
    • It also galvanised the demand for Khalistan.
  • Aftermath of Operation Bluestar:
    • In October 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh bodyguards, triggering the worst communal violence since Partition, where over 8,000 Sikhs were massacred in massive anti-Sikh violence.
    • A year later, Sikh nationalists based in Canada blew up an Air India flight killing 329 people. They claimed that the attack was to “avenge Bhindranwale’s killing”.
    • Punjab saw the worst violence, becoming the hub of a long-drawn-out insurgency that lasted till 1995.

What is the timeline of Ups and Downs in Canada-India Relations:

  • Bonhomie During the Cold War: During the Cold War, bonhomie developed between Ottawa and New Delhi due to their shared commonwealth status and convergent views on the importance of the UN, multilateralism, and advancing global development.
  • Differences on Korean War and Indian Nuclear Programme: Differences over Cold War crises in Korea, Hungary, and Vietnam strained the relationship. India’s nuclear programme tested ties further.
  • Revival of Relationship: With limited prospects for trade or security relations, there was no basis for meaningful diplomatic engagement.
  • In the 1980s, Ottawa’s interest in India was rekindled by rising Indian immigration.
  • Much work has gone into reviving the relationship from its lowest in 1998, following Ottawa’s rejection of India’s nuclear power status.
  • Investment and trade form the heart of the relationship now, with considerable scope for growth.
  • The bilateral relationship is held hostage by specific diaspora elements that harbour a deep hatred toward India, dislike India’s territorial unity and strive to balkanise it.

What is the status of India-Canada in numbers:

India suspends visa service in Canada IR