Modi Govt Needs To Close The Khalistan Chapter Before 2024 Polls. It Will Be Too Late Later

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government, though has taken a tough stand on the Khalistan extremism issue with Canada and rightly so, should also ensure that it closes the chapter by closely collaborating with Ottawa, before the 2024 elections, and not leave the problem for future governments to solve because it might be too late by then. And not just with Canada, even with the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, the government should work on a war footing to mitigate this crisis that has taken a huge proportion now, or else the Khalistan issue can become one of India’s biggest national security threats.

Ever since coming to power in 2014, the Modi government has had a tumultuous relationship with Canada, particularly with the Justin Trudeau government. The Khalistan issue, which was till then kept at the backburner, came to the forefront when Trudeau came on his maiden visit to India in 2018 and it ended up being a major diplomatic disaster as key Khalistani leaders were seen at the same dinner reception in which he had been invited. While Trudeau denied all allegations and said he had no role to play in that, the damage was done. Trudeau later called the visit “the trip to end all trips”.

Meanwhile, as the Modi government resorted to a tit-for-tat approach to the Khalistan issue with Canada, the problem escalated in other corners of the world, from New York to London to Paris to Canberra, and a string of incidents began emerging as the Indian government started taking a pro-Hindu stance. Leaving Canada aside, the question arises as to why all these countries, be it the US, the UK, France or Australia, who are considered to be India’s close strategic partners, have allowed this to go on.

India said on Thursday it had shared with Canada the names of over 20 individuals who are linked with the Khalistan terror network to be extradited from that country and handed over to New Delhi. Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said India had shared these names with Canada long before the diplomatic spat. Now the question is if Canada had failed to take action on India’s requests, why was their Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly entertained when she came to India earlier this year, and both sides vowed to undertake several steps to take bilateral ties forward? Why did India wait for Canada to expel its diplomat and even go public about it?

But now, at one go, the MEA described Canada as a safe haven for terrorists, suspended visa issuance to Canadians and even told Canada to reduce their diplomatic staff in India, for the first time in the history of India-Canada diplomatic ties. The matter has now slipped into the hands of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) from the MEA. And the MHA has unleashed all its agencies to crack down on the Khalistani elements. India might soon suspend all the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders in Canada.

The emerging situation necessitated such extreme steps but in taking them all of a sudden, India should not lose sight of the fact that Canada is a member of the elite Group of Seven, or G7, along with the UK, US, European Union, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Hence, by taking such actions India may also be indirectly taking on the G7 or the quintessential “White Boys’ Club” who may take it as a deadly signal from India and will not hesitate to take reciprocal actions on Indians living there who try to propagate the Hindu ideology in their respective countries. Washington and Canberra have already asked India indirectly to cooperate in the investigation initiated by Canada over the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Despite Trudeau’s disastrous trip in 2018 and simmering tensions between the two countries over the Khalistan issue, Prime Minister Modi turned out to be the first world leader to congratulate Trudeau when he was re-elected to power in October 2019. If the voices within the diplomatic community are to be believed, they are concerned that India’s muscular diplomacy might scuttle its chances of becoming a key player in global multilateral fora. In international relations and diplomacy, every vote counts. We cannot ignore the fact that India would need Canada at the United Nations or at the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG).

Modi Should Avoid What Indira Gandhi Did

We know what happened to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when she tried to take action against Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh separatists. Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to launch ‘Operation Blue Star’ in 1984 with the objective of curbing Khalistan movement in India. This turned out to be a massive mistake and Gandhi had to pay with her life. PM Modi should, hence, tread very cautiously. Presently, the Khalistanis are issuing open threats to our diplomats posted at various world capitals. India needs to handle it extremely carefully and not with aggression, come what may.

In November 2019, India jointly with Pakistan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor, but kept it closed for a long time due to Covid and opened it much later. Thereafter, the farmers' protest added fuel to the fire in which the issue of Khalistan aiding and helping the protestors came up again and again from the government’s side. While India has been coming down heavily on Canada, a Delhi court acquitted former Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and all other accused in a murder case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the Sultanpuri area.

All these could prove to be counterproductive for the government, which should now put all its focus in nabbing the terrorists and resolve the matter away from public glare or at least cool down the situation like previous governments did. Else, the matter can quickly go out of hands and there will be no coming back from it. The lives of our diplomats around various capitals of the world are at high risk currently and so are that of the innocent Indians living abroad. Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has once again issued threats against Indo-Canadian Hindus, asking them to “leave Canada and go back to India”. New Delhi should not forget the invisible hand of Pakistan in all these activities.

G.B.S Sidhu, a former Special Secretary of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) notes in this book, ‘Khalistan Conspiracy: A Former R&AW Officer Unravels the Path to 1984’: “Taking advantage of the prolonged denial of justice to the Sikhs, by successive governments of India, Pakistan started making concerted efforts to internationalise the Khalistan issue by using their existing and newly created assets living in Pakistan, India and the Western countries, especially the UK, Canada and the US.”

India should now wear the hat of a global leader and handle the matter cleverly. The solution may not lie in asking Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff in India or imposing a blanket ban on visas for Canadians willing to visit India for work or for pleasure. The visa ban in fact is in violation of global trading norms. The last thing that India would want now is to have Canada take India to the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization on charges of violating Mode 4 of services trade that allows free movement of professionals.

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