K N Pandita
Weeks before Canada made an explosive allegation implicating Indian officials in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian officials sought public condemnation of the murder from their allies, including the United States, but were met with reluctance, The Washington Post reported.
The Canadian Government had also approached the British Government with the same request. Its purpose was to create doubts about an external hand behind the murder of the Khalistan leader in Canada. It was also meant to bestir the Sikh diaspora in the US and UK where we find a strong Diaspora of Indian Sikhs.
Of late, India – US relations have been grown rapidly. This is despite the displeasure expressed by some quarters in the US and Europe that India did not go by their wishes of joining the condemnation spree against Russia on the Ukrainian issue. There is a clique in the US and some European countries with links to known anti-India elements. These elements are unhappy with the growing India-US relationship and would want to wreck it as fast as they can.
Both President Biden of the US and Prime Minister Modi of India will be facing general elections early 2024. Both have detractors, quiet as well as active.
Anti-Modi elements in India have seldom concealed their hatred, contempt and animosity towards him. The nascent I.N.D.I.A group has openly said that its primary objective in aligning nearly two dozen small or large political formations is to oust Modi in the 2024 parliamentary elections in India.
Trudeau took no action on India’s complaint that Sikh extremists in Canada are deeply involved in maligning India because the Indian nation does not accept the idea of Khalistan, an independent State of the Indian Union. Interestingly, the only other country in the world that has been lending overt or covert support to the Khalistan movement is Pakistan.
More than 7.5 lakh Sikhs of Indian origin have been given Canadian citizenship and live in different parts of Canada. It is a sizeable population no doubt and is a factor in the democratic dispensation of Canada.
The Sikhs are hardworking people with a modern outlook. They are proud of living a life through the sweat of the brow and not depending on others. Socially, they are well-knit and a cohesive community. They have made Punjab the granary of India. Their Diasporas in foreign countries have monopolised transport industry and are frontline activists in the truck drivers fraternity of the US.
Because Canada has the oldest and the largest Sikh community as permanent residents of Canada, their vote has much value for any political party. The vote-bank syndrome — a deformation of democracy in modern times — of which Trudeau has become a victim, has emerged as a challenge to traditional values attached to parliamentary democracy.
India complains that as a democracy and also as a signatory to several resolutions of various organs of the UN, Canada should function as a stout anti-terrorism regime. Pro-Khalistan Sikhs have been trying to convert Canada into the main overseas platform for waging a propaganda war against India.
Trudeau claims a Canadian citizen has been murdered by unknow gunmen and therefore he is bound to make enquiry into the case. But he does not say that there is a Interpol letter against Najjir and that India has designated him as a wanted terrorist. He does not say that there are at least nine terrorists of Khalistanis functioning secretly in Canada. Canadian government also knows that many of these Khalistan groups are involved in drug trafficking not only in Canada but across the US as well. An unconfirmed report is that there was no technical snag in Trudeau’s aircraft which forced his halt for 2 days in New Delhi. The grapevine has that cocaine was found on that aircraft and hence it was not allowed to fly. This also resolves the mystery why Trudeau refused to accept India’s offer of flying him back home in PM’s aircraft.
The world expects Canada to be serious about curbing terror and terrorist activities viciously propagated among the younger generations of their community. Even Saudi Arabia has imposed restrictions on religious seminaries that were engaged more in propagating Islamic sharia than the universal laws. Sikhs are using religious fraternity as a political instrument to achieve political goals.
The tendency to mix religion with politics and terrorism has been noticed for quite some time in different parts of the world. India has been protesting at different political and human rights forums world over that terrorism is a potential threat to states and civilizations.
Trudeau wants votes to be in power. He relies heavily on the Sikh Diaspora. But the Sikhs have laid down a condition of allowing them to speak and propagate against India. The Head of the government in any democratic state is supposed to show due respect to any request made to him by any government. India has reasons and proof to show that the Khalistan movement run from Canada by some designated terrorists or murderers with Canadian citizenship is a serious case that the Canadian government must take note of.
Supporting terror and terrorists is a violation of the UN resolutions and resolutions passed by various international organizations with a large representation of the world community. Supporting terrorism is a violation of the Geneva Convention and against international law. A democratic government is supposed to give the highest priority to human rights.
In a democracy, the leader is supposed to lead the nation by observing national as well as international laws. The case of Canada is that it is not the leader but the vote bank that is leading the leader. The prime minister of a democratic country does not raise an eyebrow when he sees Canadian citizens of a specific ethnic descent openly threatening the country of their origin or openly bringing out rallies to abuse the leaders of their parent country with which Canada has normal relations, cannot be considered a democrat and a fair leader.
Criminal designs of some of the Sikhs of Indian origin settled in Canada are well known but these cannot go without check. Trudeau has announced in the parliament of Canada that the finger of suspicion towards Indian authorities in the case of Nijjar’s killing. The world will not accept vague statements like that. It is only to give indirect support to the handful of terrorists who have taken Trudeau hostage. The inefficiency of the investigating machinery of Canada was proved when it failed to identify the bomber of an Indian airliner that blew off the coast of Scotland in which more than 300 innocent passengers were killed. India has the right to approach the World Court and demand the identification of the culprits of that aeroplane bombing. The expulsion of an Indian diplomat from Canada was a demand of the extremist Sikh group of Canada and now, days after the G20 summit concluded in New Delhi, Trudeau has raked up the issue.
Where will the policy of patronizing the terrorists for the sake of winning their votes in the general election take Canada at the end of the day, is a question which is best answered by the example of Pakistan. It will be a sad day for democracy if a democratic government rushes headlong to fall into the same pit into which Pakistan has fallen. Trudeau is riding a tiger and what will be the consequences, one shudders to imagine.
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