Indian foreign ministry claims ‘security threats’ after Trudeau’s explosive allegation of state-sponsored killing mean it cannot provide visa services safely
India says it is indefinitely suspending visa services in all categories for all Canadian nationals due to “security threats” to its consulates, amid a furious diplomatic row between the two countries.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said they have suspended “all categories” of visas, including e-visas and for Canadian citizens applying from third countries.
And India has also moved to downsize the Canadian diplomatic presence in New Delhi, saying that Canada has more embassy workers in its capital than visa versa and that it wants to restore “parity”.
It comes after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” of the Indian state’s involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, triggering a furious tit-for-tat row.
Don’t know if you have ever visited the US, but I was not expecting what we found. Worst was the constant begging. People tapping on the windows of the car when we stopped at intersections, chasing us around shopping centres and along streets, and begging on train stations, expecting “tips” for returning a bag they had stolen out of my hand (sometimes, jetlag didn’t help me be fast enough) or “tips” for giving directions I didn’t want, need, or ask for. They constantly expected money to be handed to them.
It was shocking how the roads were broken, the shops had no electronic payment, the coins were worth practically nothing, the paper money was literally paper scrip and not holographic or durable, and the buildings were rotting apart. People were dying on the footpaths. Crowds of dirty people. Rubbish everywhere. But worst was the begging.
Oddly, Canada isn’t like that. If you ever visited the US, India is similar, but not unexpected the way the US is.