A dramatic and unprecedented escalation in the year-long rift between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar recently saw India recalling its high commissioner Sanjay Verma from Ottawa after Canada alleged that Verma, along with other Indian diplomats, is a “person of interest” in the murder probe. Several other diplomats were also recalled.
India also expelled six Canadian diplomats, including the deputy high commissioner and acting high commissioner.
India-Canada ties have hit rock bottom after Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau pointed fingers at the Indian government last year over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
However, Trudeau has acknowledged that he had only intelligence and no “hard evidentiary proof” when he alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year. Still he continues to make wild allegations against India.
One should remember that Canada has a long history of sheltering Khalistani militants, who caused bloodbath in Punjab during the 1980s demanding for a separate homeland. This turbulent period led then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to order military operation to retake the Golden Temple in Amritsar code named Operation Blue Star, where Khalistani leader Bhindranwale and his armed followers had taken refuge.
While the military operation succeeded in eliminating Bhindranwale and most of his supporters, it inflicted significant damage on the Golden Temple complex, which is revered as the holiest Sikh shrine.
In response to the military operation, Indira Gandhi was tragically assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. This event triggered widespread anti-Sikh riots across the country, resulting in the loss of many lives.
Although a significant portion of the unrest and violence in Punjab and support for Khalistani separatists was linked to Pakistan, which provided shelter to many of them, there were a large chunk of these separatists who had taken refuge in Canada, conducting anti-India terror activities with the tacit support of the Pakistani intelligence agency Inter Services Intelligence or the ISI, which continues even now.
The worst terror attack conducted on any country from a foreign soil happened in the 1980s from Canada against India, by Khalistani militants, much before 9/11 happened against the USA, when they blew off Air India flight ‘Kanishka’ mid-air on 23 June 1985, which killed 329 people. The main accused of this attack was Talwinder Singh Parmar.
In fact, in 1982, when India asked Canada for extradition of Parmar, who was wanted in India for killing of police officers, Canada, under Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau’s father, he refused the request by saying, ‘India does not recognise the British queen as head of state’. And three years later, he orchestrated the bombing of Air India plane.
Last year, the Indian government had to summon the Canadian High Commissioner over Khalistan protests outside the Indian missions and consulates over the arrest of another self-styled Khalistani supporter and preacher Amrit Pal Singh, who tried to foment trouble in Punjab.
Justin Trudeau’s support to Khalistani extremists is due to his dependence on Sikh votes. Canada, which has a Sikh population of more than 770,000 about 2 percent of its total population, has seen a rise in pro-Khalistan voices from its soil and Trudeau has justified it by saying his country believes in “freedom of expression”.
So, it is clear that Canada has become another Pakistan, which is harbouring anti-elements and allowing them to prick India.
Will the Canadian government approve if anti-social elements target its people from Indian soil? Instead of patronising anti-India radicals, the Canadian government should give more importance to salvaging its economy, which is currently sinking.
Many recent economic indicators suggest growth faltered in the third quarter, even with three rate cuts to date from the Bank of Canada.
Canada should not forget that India is today the fifth largest economy in the world. The sound trade relations between the two countries that exist today, will get hit because of this diplomatic stand-off and it is Canada which will be hurt more, considering its economic situation.
Canada has said that it has paused talks on the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India, which could boost two-way trade by as much as 6.5 billion USD, yielding a GDP gain of 3.8 billion to 5.9 billion USD for Canada by 2035, as per reports.
Incidentally, in his ninth year as prime minister, Trudeau’s approval rate has plummeted from 63% when he was first elected in 2015, to 28% now, according to one poll tracker. Canadian MPs have asked Justin Trudeau to resign by October 28. This is not good news for Trudeau, who will face electorates next year.
The unnecessary tiff with India is certainly not helping his cause. Now Canada has to realise who be the real loser will be in this unnecessary vote-bank tussle with India.