India will resume visa services in Canada if safety concerns addressed, says EAM S Jaishankar

In a statement on October 22, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced that India is prepared to resume visa services in Canada, but only if the safety and security of Indian diplomats are ensured in accordance with the Vienna Convention. The move comes in the midst of a diplomatic dispute between the two nations, which has recently seen a decline in diplomatic relations.

Jaishankar stated that the primary concern surrounding the issuance of visas is the safety of Indian diplomats. "Ensuring the safety and security of diplomats is the most fundamental aspect of the Vienna Convention, and right now, that is what has in many ways been challenged in Canada. Our people are not safe, our diplomats are not safe," he stated.

He further added, "So if we see progress there, I would like very much to resume the issuance of visas. My hope would be that it would be something which should happen very soon."

The External Affairs Minister acknowledged that the relationship between India and Canada is currently undergoing a challenging phase, primarily due to issues with a certain segment of Canadian politics and the policies that stem from it.

"The relationship right now is going through a difficult phase. But I do want to say the problems we have are with a certain segment of Canadian politics and the policies which flow from that," Jaishankar remarked.

This statement comes days after Canada withdrew 41 of its diplomats from India, leaving only the Canadian High Commission in Delhi to provide visa and consular services.

The tensions between the two nations escalated in September when India asked Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff in the country, asserting its desire for an equal number of diplomats stationed in both countries. The number of Canadian diplomats in Delhi significantly outnumbered Indian diplomats in Ottawa, leading to this request.

Diplomatic relations between India and Canada soured following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's assertion of a "potential link" between the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Indian government. Nijjar was killed in June outside a gurdwara in Canada by two unidentified assailants.