India had repeatedly accused Canada of providing safe haven to those wanted on terrorism charges
India has come out strongly against the Canadian parliament's move of observing a moment of silence in the memory of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He was killed outside a gurdwara in Canada's British Columbia province last year. 
 
"We naturally oppose any move giving political space to extremism and those advocating violence,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a question at the weekly media briefing on Friday (June 21, 2024).
 
A diplomatic row was triggered between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made allegations in September 2023 about India’s potential involvement in the death of Nijjar, who had been designated a terrorist by India. 
 
India has firmly rubbished Canada's allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated" and noting that the Trudeau administration has yet to provide any evidence to back this claim.
 
India has also repeatedly accused Canada of providing safe haven to those wanted on terrorism charges. In November 2023, the MEA said India had sought either extradition or assistance related to that of more than 20-25 individuals over the years but the response had not been helpful at all.
 
Last month, India had condemned the violent imagery displayed during a Nagar Kirtan parade in Malton, Canada in strong terms, saying that glorification of violence cannot be part of a civilised society. According to media reports, the parade included floats targeting Indian political figures and depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 
“We have repeatedly raised our strong concerns regarding the violent imagery being used by extremist elements in Canada against our political leadership,” MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal said in response to media queries on the matter on May 7, 2024.