Canada on Thursday welcomed New Delhi’s decision to restart some visa-related services, saying the move is a good sign after a worrying time for Canadians.
However, Immigration Minister Mark Miller welcomed the decision, saying it “should not have happened”. India had suspended visa services days after Canada accused the country’s officials of conspiring to kill Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Our feeling is that the suspension should never have happened in the first place,” he was quoted as saying by CTV News.
He said the “really worrying diplomatic situation” had created fear in many communities.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan welcomed the move, but said he would not speculate on the message India was sending by restarting these services.
The High Commission of India in Canada on Wednesday said certain types of visa applications for Canadians will be processed by Indian authorities.
Designated terrorist Nijjar was killed in British Columbia on June 18. After the G-20 summit last month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had accused Indian agents of being involved in his murder. India rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
Sajjan said Ottawa is still seeking India’s help in the killing.
New Delhi has resumed services like entry visa, business visa, medical visa and conference visa.
Taking a strong stand against Trudeau’s allegations, India had accused Canadian diplomats of interference in its internal affairs and asked it to recall 41 of its diplomats to achieve parity in numbers. Last week, Canada had recalled its 41 diplomats present in India.
The United States and Britain supported Canada on the return of the diplomats.