Ottawa

In yet another show of support for anti-India separatism, Canada's parliament on Tuesday (June 18) held a moment of silence to mark the first anniversary of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death. The move is similar to one previously held by India's western neighbour Pakistan, who used the platform of its National Assembly in Islamabad to valourise terrorist Burhan Wani. 

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Nijjar was designated a terrorist by New Delhi for fostering separatism in India's Punjab state and related acts of terrorism. He was the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and was killed in a targeted shooting in Canada's Surrey, outside a British Columbia Gurudwara on June 18 last year.

Also read | Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Nijjar shot dead in Canada's Surrey

Four Indian nationals, Karan Brar, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh, are accused of killing Nijjar.

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In response to Canada's so-called 'moment of silence', the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver announced a memorial service in memory of 329 people killed in the 1985 Khalistani bombing of an Air India Kanishka aircraft.

The memorial service is scheduled to be held later this week on Sunday (June 23).

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Also read | 'Motivated and absurd': India slams Canada's accusations over terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing

Taking to X, the Indian Consulate General said, "India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat. 23 June 2024 marks the 39th anniversary of the cowardly terrorist bombing of Air India flight 182 (Kanishka), in which 329 innocent victims, including 86 children, lost their lives in one of the most heinous terror-related air disasters in the history of civil aviation."

Also watch | Canada: Three arrested in Nijjar's killing, yet to prove Indian gov't link with suspects

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Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who moved to Canada in 1997 under a fake passport, was described as a Canadian national in the country's parliament by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

According to Indian agencies, Nijjar was actively recruiting and training people for Khalistan Tiger Force, a banned terrorist organisation. India had sought his extradition as he was wanted in a number of cases for disseminating terrorism in India's Punjab state. He was also wanted in the 2017 Ludhiana blast which claimed the lives of six people and left 42 injured.