India has resumed electronic visa services for Canadians after nearly a two-month gap, sources have told ABP Live. Visa services were suspended over the ongoing diplomatic tiff between Ottawa and New Delhi over the killing of Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada had alleged the involvement of 'agents' of the Indian government in the matter, a charge that was refuted by India.
Visa services for four categories, including Business visa and Medical visa had resumed earlier -- a move that was welcomed by Canada and dubbed a 'good sign'.
Relationship between the two countries were strained with the allegations and the subsequent tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats, issuance of travel advisories. Canada, however, mantained it did not want to escalate matter but wanted to engage "constructively and seriously" with India.
Expressing his disappointment over India asking Canada to withdraw 40 diplomats of its diplomats, Trudeau said, “We were disappointed when India violated the Vienna Convention and arbitrarily revoked the diplomatic immunity of over 40 Canadian diplomats in India...We have serious reasons to believe that agents of the government of India could have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil and India's response is to kick out a whole bunch of Canadian diplomats by violating their rights under the Vienna Convention.”
He, however, added, "But every step of the way, we have tried to work constructively and positively with India, and we will continue to and that means continuing to work with Indian government diplomats. This is not a fight we want to be having right now but we will unequivocally always stand up for the rule of law,” he added.
New Delhi has also asked Ottawa repeatedly to provide evidence of the allegations levelled. This was recently reinterated by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who said India was not ruling out and investigation but needs evidence.
"If you have a reason to make such an allegation please share the evidence because we are not ruling out an investigation…," Jaishankar said.
Earlier, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma has said that the probe into the Nijjar killing case was damage by the public statements made by a high-level Canadian official. He also said there was no evidence show by Canada and its allies that could link the Indian goverment to the kiling.
He said, "I would go a step further and say now the investigation has already been tainted, " adding that, "A direction has come from someone at a high level to say India or Indian agents are behind it."