Editorial: Trudeau at it again
It is disturbing that separatist voices are getting official patronage under the present dispensation in Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has done it again. By allowing pro-Khalistan slogans to be raised at a public event he attended recently, Trudeau has once again ruffled the feathers in Indian diplomatic circles. Known for his appeasement policies, Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights and freedoms of the Sikh community. This is seen by India as a clear provocative act. New Delhi has rightly summoned the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner and expressed ‘deep concern and strong protest’ over the event. It is disturbing that separatist voices are not only being allowed to be aired in public but are also getting official patronage under the present dispensation in Canada. Such actions will not only adversely impact India-Canada bilateral relations but also encourage a climate of violence in Canada to the detriment of its own citizens. The latest incident during the Khalsa Day celebrations illustrates that political space in Canada has been given to those forces openly advocating separatism and extremism. The two countries are already grappling with an unprecedented crisis after Trudeau publicly accused Indian agents of killing Canadian Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year. By choosing to make such an irresponsible charge against a friendly country on the floor of Parliament, without any trial or investigation, the PM has thrown a valued relationship into jeopardy. Moreover, his government has failed to provide any evidence in support of its extraordinary claim. It is everybody’s knowledge that there are warring factions within the extremist pro-Khalistan groups operating on Canadian soil and they are often engaged in mutual violent attacks.
The killing of Nijjar, an active supporter of Khalistan Tiger Force, in Vancouver could have been one such possibility. Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state and was designated by India as a terrorist in July 2020. The Canadian authorities could have shared the information and their concerns with their Indian counterparts through established channels and closed-door conversations instead of taking the public route and throwing the bilateral relations in disarray. Days after Trudeau’s allegations, India asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country to ensure parity. Subsequently, Canada withdrew 41 diplomats and their family members from India. India has been asserting that its core issue with Canada remained that of the space to terrorists and anti-India elements. 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. The domestic political expediency has turned Trudeau soft towards pro-Khalistan groups. It must be pointed out that India had made several requests to Ottawa in the past to extradite people engaged in anti-India activities.
