Canada rejects Indian travel advisory amid probe of Sikh leader killing

Canada is investigating possible links between the killing of a Sikh leader and India’s government, tanking relations.
Canada has flatly rejected an Indian travel advisory urging “utmost caution” when visiting the North American country, in the latest sign of escalating tensions. On Wednesday, Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc responded to the travel alert shortly after it was announced, telling reporters, “Canada is a safe country.”Canada likewise updated its travel information this week, warning travellers to exercise a “high degree of caution” when stopping in India due to the “threat of terrorist attacks”.
The tit-for-tat over travel advisories comes in the midst of an ongoing political row between Canada and India. On Monday, tensions skyrocketed when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced officials were probing “credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and the June killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India’s foreign ministry did not directly reference Trudeau’s remarks in its advisory on Wednesday. Instead, it said in a statement that New Delhi was concerned for the safety of its citizens in Canada due to “politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence”.
“Threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda,” a ministry statement said. “Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents.”Trudeau’s announcement of the investigation — made in dramatic fashion before Canada’s House of Commons — inflamed long-running tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi over the advocacy of Sikhs in Canada who support the creation of an independent Sikh state in India. Sikh advocates have said they have faced persecution, surveillance and regular threats under the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while New Delhi has regularly accused the separatist movement of plotting violence…
Source: aljazeera.com/