An organised challenge to Indian sovereignty and territorial integrity is emerging from distant lands. These are mainly Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, where the Sikh diaspora resides in large numbers. Canada is in focus this time because of the June 4 event in the city of Brampton where an offensive tableau rolled down the streets during a parade depicting the assasination of late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It clearly exposed that Khalistan separatists have gained roots in Canada.
These roots have been growing since the Air India flight 182, ‘Kanishka’, after taking off from Canada’s Montreal for Mumbai, via London, was blown up high in the sky in June 1985. The sad part is that Canadian politicians did not learn any lessons, as most of the passengers among the 328 dead were 278 Canadian citizens. Canadian politicians have fallen prey to the appeasement policy by facilitating Khalistan separatists with space and voice.
The Canadian politicians kowtow before the Khalistani separatists to garner votes for winning the parliamentary elections. In order to win a few electoral constituencies, represented by Khalistani supporters, the Canadian politicians are compromising with their own national interests, which demands that Canada should develop deeper ties with India, the fifth largest economy.
Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said such brazen acts by Canada will impact bilateral ties. India had been maintaining business and trade ties with Canada. In 2021, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought Covid vaccines from India by making a telephone call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Though the Indian security establishment is keeping a close watch on the activities of a handful of Khalistan separatists, their acts of teasing India causes embarrassment for the Indian government, and hence the responsibility will fall on the external affairs ministry to effectively counter the Khalistan elements by managing the host countries.
India is doing the same with Australia and the UK where the Sikh diaspora constitutes a substantial portion. In fact, the recent revival of anti-India activities by Khalistan separatists has been aided, abetted and masterminded by Pakistan ISI. Pakistan is already sheltering a large number of Khalistani extremists. And if Canada also starts facilitating the rogue anti-India elements, India will be bound to name and shame Canada on the international fora for harbouring terrorists. At a time when the world is embracing India, Canada would not like to be left behind. This is why Canada PM Justin Trudeau sent his foreign minister Melanie Jolie to India twice this year, first in February for bilateral talks and then in March for the G20 meeting. She was sent to India for improving ties, and she promised the Indian government during her visits that Canada would not allow anti-India forces to misuse Canadian land for conspiring the breakup of India.
Though the Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi, Cameron MacKay has condemned the presentation of the tableau, which glorified the terrorist act of killing of a head of a government, the Government of Canada has largely remained silent. On the contrary, Canadian National Security Advisor Jody Thomas has criticised the Indian stance as interference in the internal affairs of Canada. To which, Jaishankar retorted in Hindi: “Ulta Chor Kotwal ko Dante (Pot calling the kettle black). Violence has no place in democratic polity, but Canada, preaching democracy for other countries is encouraging the violent acts of Khalistani separatists." The Sikh youth are taking advantage of Canada's liberal migration policy, and are shifting to Canada in large numbers on the excuse of getting education or employment. These youth are enticed to become the flag-bearers of Khalistan, thus continuously enhancing the list of supporters and foot soldiers.
Influence Of Sikh Diaspora In Canada
There are over 8,00,000 Sikh citizens in Canada, comprising 2.1 percent of the total population, and are playing an important role not only in various walks of Canadian life but also in Canada politics. They are now an important voice in the governance structure of Canada. A Canadian Sikh, Jagmeet Singh, is the head of the Canadian Left-leaning New Democratic Party and is a role model among other Sikh leaders of Canada. The members of the Sikh community and Sikh lawmakers are in substantial numbers in Canadian politics. There are 18 Sikh legislative members in Canada’s 338-member House of Commons.
The Liberals are led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who has only 156 members and are critically dependent on the support of the New Democratic Party headed by Khalistan supporter Jagmeet Singh, who has 25 members of Parliament with him. This explains the compulsions of the ruling party for not being vocal against Sikh separatists active under the banner of Khalistan. There are three members of the Sikh community in the Trudeau government, and one of them, Harjit Sajjan, was earlier the defence minister (replaced by Anita Anand). All of these politicians have risen to this highest pedestal in their political career because of the overwhelming support from the community, whose leadership espouse the cause of Khalistan.
The killing of Khalistani extremist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale during the raid of Amritsar Golden temple in June 1984 to flush out militants was followed by killing of the then PM Indira Gandhi by her own Sikh bodyguard in October 1984. The Golden Temple raid ignites their emotions. Canadian Sikh leaders cite this incident to exploit the Sikh sentiments.
Asked to comment during an interaction with the media, Jaishankar rightly said: "Frankly, we are at a loss to understand, other than the requirements of vote bank politics, why anybody would do this… I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence. I think it is not good for relationship, not good for Canada.”
The Canadian politicians seeking support of Sikh voters are in reality creating a rift between India and Canada.
The Sikh community has been hijacked by the gun-wielding Khalistani activists, who pressurise and terrorise the ordinary gullible Sikhs to fall in line. The Sikh youth from Indian northern states, who dream of living and working in Canada, easily fall in the trap. When they reach the Canadian soil as an illegal migrant, they seek asylum on the excuse of alleged political discrimination and coercion in India, get a helping hand in obtaining the resident permit. These youths are also supported in other kind of assistance like housing, job and financial help for settling in an alien land. Thus the Khalistani propagandists are able to win the minds and hearts of migrating Sikhs in Canada. The newly migrated Sikh youths thus feel obliged to the Khalistani leaders and become torchbearers of Khalistan separatism.
The Canadian government must understand that these Sikh youths are misguided and are just acting as pawns in a wider Pakistani gameplan to dismember India. The Sikhs are the most prosperous community in India and have their own state, Punjab. The Canadian government’s silence on the Indira tableau during the Brampton parade is intriguing. The separatist feeling among the Sikh diaspora can only be nourished at the cost of good relations with India.
The author is a senior journalist and strategic affairs analyst.
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