The memorial service is scheduled to be held at Stanley Park’s Ceperley Playground area at 6:30 pm on Sunday. Taking to X, the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver 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.”
On Tuesday, towards the end of the proceedings in the Canadian House of Commons, Speaker Greg Fergus stood up to announce, “Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand there is agreement to observe a moment of silence commemorating Hardeep Singh Nijjar, assassinated in Surrey, British Columbia, one year ago today.”
Following this, members of the House stood up and observed a moment of silence.
Nijjar, the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force, was killed in a targeted shooting in Canada’s Surrey, outside British Columbia’s Gurudwara, on June 18 last year. His name was on the list released by the Indian government with 40 other ‘designated terrorists’. Nijjar’s murder, in which Canada claimed the role of the Indian government, has been a major irritant in bilateral ties.
However, last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefly met his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy. Later, speaking about the meeting, Trudeau said that he sees an “opportunity” to engage with the new government, including economic ties, and national security.In 2022, the Punjab Police sought Nijjar’s extradition as he was wanted in cases of spreading terrorism in the state. He was wanted in various cases, including the 2017 Ludhiana blast, which claimed the lives of six people and left 42 injured. Earlier, the Punjab police registered a case against Nijjar for his alleged role in the bomb blast near a temple in Patiala.
