Editorial: Provocation continues

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudea jibes reek of an amateurish way of handling relations with strategic friends

Bilateral ties between Canada and India have nosedived ever since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. What makes the allegation astonishing is that Ottawa has so far been unable to produce any evidence in support of its claim. Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force, was wanted in India. Though the onus is on Trudeau to substantiate his sensational charge, he has taken fresh potshots at India in utter disregard for diplomatic niceties. Astonishing, as it may sound, he took an indirect dig at New Delhi saying the world will turn into a “more dangerous” place for all “if bigger countries can violate international law without consequences”. After all the damage that he has done to the bilateral ties, Trudeau needs to show some maturity. His latest jibes reek of an amateurish way of handling relations with strategic friends. He should focus on the growing extremism and religious fanaticism in his country and take demonstrable actions to prevent the misuse of freedom of expression, growing attacks on places of worship and discrimination against racial minorities. The crux of the problem is that Canadian politics, over the years, has given space to extreme political opinions which advocate separatism from India, including through violent means. Such separatist elements have not only been accommodated in Canadian politics but have also been given the freedom to articulate their views and organise their activities.

It must be pointed out that India made several requests to Ottawa over the past five years to extradite people engaged in anti-India activities from Canadian soil. It is time Canada introspected its own approach towards terrorism: Over decades, it has provided safe sanctuary to anti-India elements openly calling for secession, taking out rallies glorifying the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, calling for Balkanisation of India, putting up posters threatening to kill Indian diplomats and asking Hindus to leave Canada. In a video clip released recently, designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice, has warned Sikhs against travelling by Air India flight on November 19, the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi. This has caused concern in India’s diplomatic circles. Such provocative calls show how easy it is to fan anti-India flames in the West. They bring back the bitter memories of the 1985 Air India bombing, which was orchestrated by Sikh extremists. As many as 329 people died when Air India’s Montreal-Mumbai flight exploded off the coast of Ireland. In the years that followed, Canadian officials came under severe criticism for ignoring threats. The fact remains that appeasement or laxity on the part of the governments of the US, Canada and the UK has emboldened religious secessionists to foment trouble in the name of freedom of speech and expression.

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