Canada updates travel advisory for India amid Khalistan row, asks citizens not to visit Assam, Manipur

Canada on September 19 sparked yet again a major row by updating its travel advisory, advising its citizens to avoid travelling to several states of India including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Manipur "due to high risk of terrorism and insurgency".

The travel advisory comes amid the soaring tension prevailing between the two countries over the death of alleged Khalistani leader and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The Candian advisory read, “Avoid all travel to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir due to the unpredictable security situation. There is a threat of terrorism, militancy, civil unrest and kidnapping. This advisory excludes travelling to or within the Union Territory of Ladakh.”

“Avoid all travel to areas within 10 km of the border with Pakistan in the following states due to the unpredictable security situation and presence of landmines and exploded ordnance: Gujarat Punjab Rajasthan," it further read.

Notably, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader in British Columbia, was fatally shot in his truck in June by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, BC. His assassination shocked and angered the sizable Sikh community in Canada, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands. India had previously designated Nijjar as a terrorist threat, associating him with Khalistani group.

Also read : India expels senior Canadian diplomat in tit-for-tat over alleged Khalistani leader's killing row