Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to stress the need for a quick resolution. “There is a sense of panic among Punjabis. Both governments, India's as well as Canada's, should find a solution as soon as possible," he told reporters after the interaction. Badal told reporters after the meeting that it is very disturbing to hear of the woes of Punjabis, including a large number of Sikhs, because of the worsening relations between the two countries. With India repeatedly conveying its concerns to Canada over Khalistani activities on its soil, Badal said Sikhs have been the most patriotic people who made maximum sacrifices during the independence struggle. The community should not be blamed for what a few persons do, he said.
The issues involving the two countries should be settled rather than escalated, he said. There are over 18 lakh Indians in Canada and a large number of them are Punjabis, he noted. India on Thursday "suspended till further notice" its visa services in Canada. The move comes amid the escalating diplomatic row that erupted following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of a Khalistani separatist in June. India has rejected the charge as absurd. The India-Canada ties have been on a downward spiral in view of increasing activities of the pro-Khalistani elements in the North American country. Relations between Canada and India have sunk to their lowest point in years as the two countries swapped accusations and expelled each other’s diplomats over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader. India has long demanded that Canada take action against the Sikh independence movement, which is banned in India but has support in countries with large Sikh diaspora populations, such as Canada, Australia and the UK. Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside Punjab, with about 770,000 people – 2% of the country’s population – reporting Sikhism as their religion.