Canada updates India travel advice with warnings of ‘landmines, terror’ in apparent retaliation

Canada has urged its citizens to “avoid all travel” to Indian regions within 10km of the border with neighbouring Pakistan, citing the “presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance”.

The travel advisory, up-to-date on Wednesday by the Canadian government, urges its citizens to “exercise a large diploma of caution” thanks to the “threat of terrorist attacks all over the country”.

The travel advisory will come days after the Indian federal government urged its individual nationals and students visiting Canada to “exercise because of caution and remain vigilant” amid a “sharp increase” in loathe crimes and sectarian violence there.

Alongside with the advisory, the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) govt issued its sharpest statement however about what it phone calls “anti-India activities” originating from Canada around the modern Khalistan movement-associated routines in Ottawa.

The Canadian government’s advisory asked its citizens not to journey to the states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and as properly as the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Avoid all travel to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir due to the unpredictable protection predicament. There is a threat of terrorism, militancy, civil unrest and kidnappings,” it said, excluding vacation to the union territory of Ladakh.

It prohibited vacation to Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat due to the “unpredictable security situation” and existence of landmines and unexploded ordnance.

It added the “level of tension in between India and Pakistan may possibly modify suddenly” and persons travelling between the two nations may perhaps be subject matter to scrutiny if officials from either region soon after starting to be mindful that they have just lately travelled to the other.

The Canadian federal government explained the tourist desired destination of Jammu and Kashmir has “high risks of violent protests, civil unrest and acts of terrorism and militancy”.

“Violent clashes involving militants and stability forces happen regularly. Terrorist assaults against safety forces have led to civilian casualties. Further assaults could acquire place at any time. You could obtain oneself in the mistaken area at the completely wrong time,” it included.

Issuing a warning for much more states, it urged people to avoid non-critical vacation to the northeastern states of Assam and Manipur due to “ethnic tensions in the state” amid existence of extremist and insurgent teams.

The shift has been dubbed as a “bizarre” and “embarrassing” tit-for-tat endeavor by the Justin Trudeau federal government by Indian media and some men and women on social media.

“The Canadians just cannot be really serious! I’m receiving true doubts about whether or not the Canadian Govt is really mature. Right after India, Canada issues advisory to its citizens in India more than ‘landmines’,” Mandeep Singh Bajwa, a nationwide security and strategic affairs analyst, reported on Twitter.

Indian information agency ANI termed it a “bizarre travel advisory” in a report carried by major news shops in the place.

The Canadian authorities also current the advisory to Pakistan and warned in opposition to journey to an area in 50km of the border with Afghanistan and the parts in 10km of the borders with China, India and Iran.

It cited bombings, shootings and other terrorist assaults as threats to individuals travelling but did not point out landmines and unexploded ordnance which have been added to India’s advisory.

Though India and Canada have lengthy-standing relations, the Khalistan campaign — a motion by Sikhs based mostly abroad to need a independent land by ”annexing” Punjab from India — has become a sore place with Delhi usually using objection to “anti-India activities”.