India and Canada face a disastrous diplomatic row to allegations of interference and support for the Khalistan movement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of aggressive interference in Canada’s sovereignty. While India accuses Canada of harboring and safeguarding seperatists and terrorists, Canada has accused India of using extrajudicial measures to orchestrate criminal activities against its citizens. However, the issue of Khalistan is not a new phenomenon, as the conflict dates back to the early 80s.
Trudeau’s allegation
Trudeau claimed that the Indian government was allegedly involved in criminal activities on Canadian citizens, particularly of the Sikh community, which included homicides, extortions, and other violent acts. However, talking before a public inquiry looking into foreign interference in Canadian politics, Trudeau admitted that the allegations were based on intelligence, not hard evidence at the time that they were made. However, Canada urged India to co-operate in the investigation, a request denied by India who demanded concrete evidence.
“Behind the scenes (were trying) India to co-operate with us. Their ask was…give us the evidence you have on us. Our response was it is within your security agency. You should be looking into how much they know, you should be engaging. ‘No, no but show us the evidence’. At that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof. So we said let’s work together,” Canadian PM said.
Trudeau also alleged that information about Canadians opposing the Modi government was passed to Indian authorities, leading to violence orchestrated by criminal organizations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. “Canadians who are opponents of Modi govt, their information was passed to the Indian govt at the highest level and then information directed through criminal organisations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang resulted in violence against Canadians on the ground,” he said.
India swiftly rejected Trudeau’s statements by pinpointing the lack of evidence as proof that the allegations are strictly political. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along—Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations it has levelled against India and Indian diplomats.” Jaiswal went on to say that the damage caused to India-Canada relations is entirely Trudeau’s responsibility.
The Long-standing Khalistan Issue
The Khalistan conundrum is not new as the issue dates back to 1982 when then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi expressed her concerns about rising separatism to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau’s father. Canada has been perceived as a safe haven for Khalistan supporters and militants accused of terrorism in India since the early 1980s.
Trudeau’s father had also denied requests by Gandhi for Parmar’s extradition in 1982 on the charges of killing two Punjab Police officers. Parmar had immigrated to Canada in 1970 and became a naturalized citizen.
The 1985 Kanishka bombing, masterminded by Parmar, highlighted the consequences of Canada’s perceived leniency towards Khalistani extremists. Despite warnings from Indian intelligence, the Canadian government failed to prevent the bombing of Air India Flight-182 choosing to ignore India’s intel, which resulted in the deaths of 329 people.
Parmar, the mastermind behind the attack, had moved to Canada in 1984 after being released from jail for killing two Punjab Police officers. The subsequent investigation which lasted for about 15 years revealed significant lapses in Canada’s handling of the threat, resulting in a public apology by Trudeau’s predecessor PM Stephen Harper. Parmar was shot dead by the Bombay police in and exchange of gunfire in 1992.
The Nijjar Case
The Khalistani movement calls for a separate sovereign state for the Sikh community. India has accused Canada of supporting and enabling separatist sentiment in the country under the guise of freedom of speech. Canada alleges that the Indian government is orchestrating criminal activities against its citizens, primarily the supporters of the Khalistani movement.
The ties between the countries reached their worst when Canada alleged India’s involvement in the death of regarding the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, designated a terrorist by India. Nijjar was shot dead in June 2023 outside a Sikh gurdwara in Surrey, Canada. India had long accused Nijjar of involvement in violent activities, including a 2007 bombing in Punjab and the 2009 murder of Sikh politician Rulda Singh. Despite these allegations, Canada did not take substantial action against him, which India perceived as a failure to address the threat posed by Sikh extremists.
The bilateral extradition agreement between India and Canada allows for the refusal of extradition if an offense by the perpetrator is deemed political. India views this as a loophole that enables Canada to avoid taking action against Sikh separatists under the guise of protecting political freedom.
Khalistan Roots in Canada?
In January 1982, Surjan Singh Gill, a figure born in Singapore and raised in India and England, took a bold step by establishing the ‘Khalistan government in exile’ office in Vancouver, Canada. This initiative aimed to promote the Khalistan movement, which seeks to create an independent Sikh nation in Punjab. Gill went as far as issuing blue Khalistani passports and colorful currency to symbolize the envisioned state’s sovereignty.
Despite these efforts, Gill’s movement struggled to gain significant traction among the local Sikh community in Vancouver. The limited support was evident during a Vaisakhi procession in April of that year, where some of his activists displayed Khalistan posters. This act led to a violent backlash, with the activists being beaten up by other members of the Sikh community who opposed the separatist agenda.
In recent years, the situation has not improved. There are several individuals wanted in India but are safeguarded in Canada, notable among those include the main accused in the murder of Sidhu Moose Wala, Goldie Brar. In similar news, the release of Arundeep Thind, an Indian-origin gangster involved in extortion added to the concerns of the Indo-Canadian community with Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya voicing worries about the fanning of Khalistani sentiments by Sikh separatists in Canada.
The diplomatic rift between India and Canada over the Khalistan movement continues to deepen. While Canada urges India to cooperate in investigating Nijjar’s death, India remains firm in its stance that Canada has not provided sufficient evidence to support its allegations.
Manbilas Singh is a talented writer and journalist who focuses on the finer details in every story and values integrity above everything. A self-proclaimed sleuth, he strives to expose the fine print behind seemingly mundane activities and aims to uncover the truth that is hidden from the general public. In his time away from work, he is a music aficionado and a nerd who revels in video & board games, books and Formula 1.
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