Courting pro-Khalistan Separatists Trudeau Recklessly Burnt Bridges with India

In Foreign Policy
05:32 PM, Sep 21, 2023
Ramaharitha Pusarla

In less than 24 hours Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an embarrassing climb down after making explosive allegations of the Indian government’s link to the slaying of Canadian Sikh citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. Calling it an “unacceptable violation of sovereignty” Trudeau sparked a terrific diplomatic row with his statement at the House of Commons. Within hours, Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie announced the expulsion of the top Indian diplomat in Canada, Pavan Kumar Rai, the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), as per CBC.

India rejected these charges as “absurd and motivated” and stated, “The allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of Canada over this issue has been a long-standing and continued concern”.

In a tit-for-tat diplomatic move, expressing concern at the interference of “Canadian diplomats in internal affairs and anti-India activities”, New Delhi issued a demarche to the Canadian High Commissioner to India, Cameron Mc Kay and expelled a Canadian envoy, the Canadian intelligence agency chief stationed in India Olivier Sylvestre as per Hindustan Times. New Delhi granted a stipulated five-day period to the under-cover officer to leave India.

The extreme move of expelling a diplomat of a friendly country based on “credible allegations of potential links with agents of the government of India”, without offering any evidence has in itself raised many suspicions. While the parliament unanimously approved the decision to expel the diplomat on Monday, opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre in a press briefing on Tuesday said, “the prime minister needs to come clean with all the facts. We need to know all the evidence possible so that Canadians can make judgments on that”. He reiterated, “the prime minister hasn’t provided any facts. He provided a statement, And I will just emphasise that he didn’t tell me anymore in private than he told Canadians in public. So, we must see more information”¹.

After India’s “complete rejection” of Trudeau’s claims and his failed attempts to convince allies-US, UK and Australia seeking condemnation, he backtracked on his position. Walking back on his outrageous claims, he told reporters, “The government of India needs to take this matter with utmost seriousness. We are doing that. We are not looking to provoke or escalate. We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them.”²

Trudeau’s incendiary remarks coming days after his return from the New Delhi G20 Summit have raised some valid questions. Sikh of Americans Chairman, Jesse Singh, argued, “If he (Trudeau) has the same information (regarding Indian links to Nijjar’s killing) back then, why didn’t he say that publicly while he was there (New Delhi)”³. Indeed, in a pull-aside meeting at the G20 Summit between PM Modi and PM Trudeau on September 10, PM Modi conveyed strong concerns about “continuing anti-India activities by extremist elements in Canada”. The official statement further reads, “they are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship. The nexus of such forces with organised crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats”⁴.

Khalistani separatists have scheduled a referendum for September 10 at a Canadian government school, but permission was revoked after an outrage as the posters featured AK-47 machine gun. Against the expected strength of 50,000-70,000 people only 7000 people turned up the Guru Nanak Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

In response to a question about the Khalistan issue at the G20 Summit, Trudeau raised alarm over “foreign interference” and reiterated, “Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and freedom of peaceful protests and it is extremely important to us”⁵. The frayed bilateral relationship has taken a downturn owing to Trudeau’s reluctance to act despite India’s repeated appeals. This was consciously visible by the cold reception at the G20 Summit, sidelined and forlorn, Trudeau didn’t attend the official leaders' reception and to add to his woes, a technical snag in his plane further extended his stay by nearly two days.

During the G20 Summit, NSA Ajit Doval engaged with counterparts in the UK, Australia and Canada which have a substantial Sikh population over the “rise of Sikh fundamentalism” and attacks on Indian consulates. While the NSAs of Australia and the UK responded positively, the Canadian NSA “remained unfazed”. Trudeau’s political survival is beholden to support from the New Democratic Party (NDP) headed by Jagmeet Singh a vociferous Khalistan supporter. Trudeau’s liberal party entered into an agreement with NDP which secured 25 seats in the 2021 elections with an unsaid bargain of Trudeau will tread a blindfold on Khalistani issues.

Sikhs who constitute 2.1% of the Canadian population sent 17 MPs in the recent elections. With plummeting approval ratings of 33% (as per Angus Reid Institute), Trudeau is firmly rallying behind NDP and backing Khalistan supporters to revive his political fortunes.

Canadian Muslims also form the vast chunk of the electorate of Trudeau’s Liberal Party. In fact, this explains the studied silence of Trudeau to the killing of human rights Baloch activist, Karima Baloch by the ISI agents on Canadian soil. He simply chose to dismiss it as “non-criminal”, and refrained from naming Pakistan. Since Canadian Muslims of Pakistani origin never wanted any investigation, Trudeau brushed the issue under the carpet.

Khalistan Movement is supported, patronised, and financed by Pakistan to destabilise and balkanise India. The Khalistani Sikh organisations operating from Canada and other countries work in close cahoots with Pakistan’s ISI. Ostensibly, the Khalistani extremist and head of Guru Nanak Gurudwara Surrey, Hardeep Singh Nijjar who conducted training camps for youth must have been on the Pindi’s list as well. Nijjar arrived in Canada in February 1997 seeking asylum on the premise of Sikh persecution in India. But his refugee status was rejected. He married a woman who sponsored his immigration even then his citizenship was rejected. Though Nijjar is acclaimed as a Canadian, the details of his citizenship are rather specious.

Nijjar actively advocated for an independent Khalistan carved out of India. Accused in more than 10 cases of murder, bombing, and explosive making, India designated Nijjar, the Chief of Khalistan Tiger Force as a terrorist in 2020. Even an Interpol red corner notice was issued against him. India sought his extradition in 2022 from Canada and NIA announced a Rs 10 lakh bounty on him for killing Hindu Priest in Jalandhar. He is also linked to the murder of Ripudaman Malik acquitted in the 1985 Air India flight bombing. Malik accused Nijjar of working “at the behest of foreign agencies”, while Nijjar described him as “quam ka gaddar” and that he should be “taught a lesson”. Considering his active pursuits of holding a referendum in Canada and his rivalry with other gangs, instead of charging all suspects Trudeau singled out India three months after his killing.

In the past three months, not a single arrest was made. But after Trudeau’s return from the G20 Summit, Canada suspended ongoing FTA talks. Clearly, Trudeau’s unsubstantiated allegations are part of an orchestrated smear campaign to malign India and her international status. The statement of Jocelyn Coulon, former adviser to Trudeau asserting, “India will join the group of nations that assassinate political opponents”⁶ likening it to a dictatorial monarchy in Saudi Arabia sums up the intent of the Canadian Prime Minister.

While critics allude to Trudeau’s retribution for the perceived indifference if any, during the New Delhi G20 summit. Knowing fully well the implications of baseless charges, Trudeau has tread on this disastrous trial of vitiating bilateral ties.

Canada’s strained relationship with India over the Khalistan issue is not of recent origin. In 1982, Pierre Trudeau, the father of Justin Trudeau refused to act on India’s request to extradite Talwinder Parmar facing murder charges of killing two police officers in India. Parmar who found shelter in Canada was the founder of Jathedar Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), associated with the Khalistan Movement. He was the mastermind behind the bombing of an Air India plane carrying 331 passengers which blew up over the Atlantic Ocean. To date, this is the most horrific tragedy in Canada’s history. But his pictures adorn Khalistan Gurudwaras where he is worshipped.

Under the false pretext of persecution and political discrimination, thousands of Khalistan supporters sought asylum in Canada. Khalistanis advocating secessionist movements have found safe havens in the Anglosphere. Though the Khalistan movement has lost all its oxygen in Punjab, the Khalistanis in foreign lands are attempting to reignite it. Courting the pro-Khalistani organisations, Canada justified the celebration of Indira Gandhi's assassination tableau, “Kill India” posters with names of Indian diplomats, attacks on Indian consulates, Hindu temples under “guaranteed freedom of thought, belief and expression” under section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom⁷.

Canada ignored India’s multiple extradition requests and remained uncommitted on dozens of dossiers. As per Indian authorities, nine separatist outfits supporting terror groups have found refuge in Canada⁸. After Canada escalated the ongoing diplomatic standoff by issuing a travel advisory, NIA made the photographs of 5 Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorists based in Canada public and announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the capture of these terrorists and issued an alert to Indian Students and Citizens in Canada.

Sending across a terse message, the advisory states, “in view of growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals there and those contemplating travel are urged to exercise utmost caution”⁹. At a time when Trudeau leveled allegations against India, Canadian-based Arsh Dalla claimed responsibility for killing a Congress leader Baljinder Singh Balli in Punjab’s Moga district, Gurupatwant Singh Pannu of Sikhs for Justice issued threats to Hindu residents in Canada to leave the country and the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) in collaboration with the World Sikh Organisation of Canada (WSO) has presented four demands. These include- the recall of Canadian envoys from India, the expulsion of the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, the suspension of trade negotiations with India, and a ban on RSS¹⁰. For the record, Arsh Dalla has 37 FIRs registered against him.

While I was writing, in Canada’s Winnipeg, gangster Sukhdool Singh shot by unknown miscreants is making news. Ideally, instead of taking umbrage of “credible allegations” Canadian investigation agencies must carry out rigorous investigations into these killings to nip all suspicions in the bud and arrive at conclusive and irrefutable conclusions. Unlike Canada, the UK agencies swung into action and instituted an inquiry to confute conspiracy theories over the death of Avtar Singh Khanda in June, an avowed Khalistani supporter in the UK.

From erasing all references to Sikh extremism and Khalistan in 2019 to undermining Indian concerns and risking the bilateral ties, Trudeau is going to great lengths dancing to the tunes of pro-Khalistani separatists. Amid the rising wrath of voters for an economic slowdown, Trudeau is seeking to consolidate his vote bank to evade an imminent political obliteration jeopardizing the country’s interests. In a classic case of the proverbial tail wagging the dog, akin to a reckless punter, Trudeau has allowed diaspora toxic politics to spill over the bilateral arena.

Trudeau’s astounding hypocrisy of supporting farmer's protests against three farm laws to pander to the Sikh Diaspora while cracking down on peaceful truckers' march against vaccine policy back home and blatant interference in internal affairs of “stating Canada watching closely” as India hunts down Amritpal Singh have roiled the bilateral ties.

Canada has disregarded India’s concerns with impunity for decades. Considering India’s enhanced global stature and her trajectory as the fastest-growing economy, Canada can no longer be oblivious to India’s genuine concerns and terror threats. India is now proportionately retaliating to Canada’s diplomatic escalation. Unfounded accusations against India are the last straw on the Camel’s back. India and Canada make natural allies given their shared values of democracy, pluralistic society, and adherence to international law. But Trudeau’s churlish arrogance has put bilateral ties are on the brink of collapse. The onus is entirely on Canada to resuscitate them.

References

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