Indian Consulate General in Vancouver on Wednesday announced a memorial service to pay tribute to the 329 victims of bombing in Air India Kanishka flight in 1985 by Khalistanis in response to the Canadian parliament's recent 'moment of silence' in the memory of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
What did the Indian Consulate General Say?
The consulate general in post on X wrote, "India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat."
Speaking of the Kanishka bombing incident, they said, "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."
"A Memorial Service is scheduled at 1830 hrs on June 23, 2024 at the Air India Memorial at Stanley Park's Ceperley Playground area. @cgivancouver encourages members of the Indian Diaspora to join the event in a show of solidarity against terrorism." it added.
The Air India Flight from Montreal to London exploded at 31,000 feet due to a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh terrorists. The tragedy killed 329 people, including 268 Canadians, 27 British, and 24 Indians. This bombing is considered as one of the worst acts of terrorism on an airplane.
This controversy takes place only a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that there is an "alignment" on several "big issues" with India and he sees an "opportunity" to engage with the new Indian government including on economic ties and "around national security" following his first interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Italy for G7 outreach summit.
When asked if he has seen improvement in cooperation from India on the Canadian probe into the murder of Nijjar in Surrey in British Columbia, Trudeau said, "There is work ongoing very much."
Trudeau's allegations from last year were strongly rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as “absurd and motivated”.
According to PTI, India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.
India has repeatedly conveyed its "deep concerns" to Canada and New Delhi expects Ottawa to take strong action against those elements.
Nijjar's murder is being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and four Indian nationals have been arrested in this connection.
