Canada Parliament observes 'moment of silence' to mark first anniversary of Nijjar's killing

Canada's House of Commons observed a "moment of silence" on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The day also witnessed a large protest in front of India's consulate in Vancouver, which featured, among other posters, those showing the person considered the mastermind of the bombing of Air India flight 182 in June 1985, the Kanishka, the worst incident of terrorism in Canadian history.

The observation in the House over the "assassination" of Nijjar, who was killed in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18 last year, was announced by Speaker Greg Fergus following an "agreement" on it across party lines.

Pro-Khalistan elements also marked the day, as many gathered in front of India's consulate in Vancouver to protest the killing of Nijjar a year ago.

"Indian ministers and diplomats who will escape Canadian justice will certainly face Khalsa justice as pro-Khalistan Sikhs will 'Haunt, Hunt and Hold' killers of Nijjar responsible under the international laws," Sikhs for Justice general-counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun,said.

"You can hide behind the diplomatic immunity for some time, but cannot be protected for lifetime," he added.

He also called for a boycott of Air India from June 23. That date marks the 39th anniversary of the Kanishka bombing by Khalistani terrorists. The terror attack claimed 329 lives, including those of 86 children and is observed in Canada as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism.

On display at the protest in front of the Vancouver consulate were posters with the image of Talwinder Singh Parmar, who is considered the mastermind of the terror attack.

Pannun had called for a similar boycott in November last year but that had little impact on the airline's services from Canada.

In a post on X, the Indian consulate referred to that tragedy describing it as "one of the most heinous terror-related air disasters in the history of civil aviation".

It added, "India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat."

Nijjar's murder has caused relations between India and Canada to crater, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement in the House of Commons on September 18 last year that there were "credible allegations" of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing. In May this year, four Indian nationals were arrested in connection with the crime. Canadian law enforcement has yet to provide details of any Indian involvement but have said those investigations are ongoing.

India had dismissed Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" last September.

Nijjar was considered a terrorist by India but none of the charges against him were tested in a Canadian court.