• Source:JND
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After the Canadian Parliament observed a "moment of silence" to mark one-year death anniversary of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India remembered the Air India Kanishka flight bombing that occurred in 1985. Taking to social media, the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver, Canada, announced a memorial service to pay tribute to the bombing of Air India Kanishka flight in which at least 329 passengers were killed.

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"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," the Consulate General posted on X.

The memorial service is scheduled to be held at Stanley Park's Ceperley Playground area at 6:30 PM on Sunday. "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. @HCI_Ottawa," it added.

On Tuesday, the Canadian parliament marked the one-year anniversary of the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar by observing a moment of silence in the House of Commons. In the video, released by news agency IANS, a speaker can be heard saying, "Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence in memory of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, assassinated in Surrey, British Columbia, one year ago today."

Nijjar, designated as a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was killed in Canada's Surrey, outside British Columbia's Gurudwara, on June 18, 2023. His name was on the list released by the Indian government with 40 other designated terrorists. This incident added more tensions to already strained relations between India and Canada, particularly after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar's killing. India, however, rejected the allegations, calling them "absurd and motivated".

Amid all these, Trudeau earlier this week expressed his optimism about the alignment between the two countries on several "big issues" and sees an "opportunity" to engage with the new Indian government. This includes potential collaboration on economic ties and "around national security". His remark came after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy. It was the first meeting between the two leaders amid strained diplomatic relations over pro-Khalistani extremism.

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