'Landmine & terrorist threats': Canada asks its citizens to avoid these Indian states

Ottawa, Sep 29: Canada has issued a travel warning for its citizens and asked them to take precautions while visiting the Indian states of Gujarat, Punjab, and Rajasthan which share a border with Pakistan because of the 'unpredictable security situation'.

The advisory also added to exercise a 'high degree of caution' in India due to the threat of terrorist attacks throughout the country.

This comes days after India issued a warning for its nationals and students to remain vigilant following a sharp increase in hate crimes and anti-India activities in Canada. Canada has been in news in India for a lot of wrong reasons from the Khalistan Referendum to hate crimes against Indians and all this despite the Indian government being vocal and critical about all these issues.

Canada, in the travel advisory, stated "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 unexploded ordnance': Gujarat, Punjab Rajasthan."

It also asked to avoid non-essential travel to Assam, Manipur due to the risk of terrorism and insurgency.

"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," said the advisory.

The advisory excluded travelling to the Union Territory of Ladakh.

As Canada issues a travel advisory for its citizen in India, it is important to look at some of the recent events and security concerns in Canada as well.

On September 19 this year, over 100,000 Sikhs participated in Canada's Brampton, Ontario for Khalistan Referendum organised by the pro-Khalistani group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ).

It's to be noted that the referendum was held ignoring the government of India's concern. After the referendum, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi during a media briefing said, "We find it (Khalistan Refrendum) deeply objectionable that politically motivated exercises by extremist elements are allowed to take place in a friendly country (Canada)."

The Indian government banned the SFJ in 2019 in the country as an unlawful association.

The banned organisation SJF campaigns for Punjab independence. They want to carve out a separate Khalistan.

Apart from India's concern, there is serious violence in the country that cannot be ignored:

Recently, on September 5, a series of stabbings was reported in Canada's Saskatchewan in which 10 people died and 15 were wounded.

According to the police, the incident of stabbings took place in multiple locations on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon.

Also, according to a Hindustan Times report, gun violence, and homicides are on the rise in Canada.

"The report stated that police reported 788 homicides in 2021, 29 more than the year before. The homicide rate increased 3 per cent, from 2.00 homicides per 100,000 population in 2020 to 2.06 in 2021. Nearly a third of the victims, 247, were identified as racial minorities, and nearly a fifth, 19 per cent, were South Asians. Murder rates rose in the country's two major provinces, Ontario and British Columbia," said the report.

It's to be recalled that a few months ago hundreds of trucks with thousands of protestors blocked the streets towards downtown Ottawa to protest against the government's vaccine mandates required to cross the Canada-US border.