India - Canada: India Draws a Line on Khalistani Activities
STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS
To mark the 39th anniversary of Operation Bluestar (storming by the army, of the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar), pro-Khalistani groups put together a tableau depicting the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi as part of an event organised in the Greater Toronto Area of Canada.
The float depicted the assassination as ‘revenge’ for Operation Bluestar, the military action ordered by former prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 to flush out separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters from the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.
This unacceptable glorification of the assassination of a PM, writes The Hindu “would rile any country, and India immediately reacted forcing External affairs minister, S Jaishankar to officially step in.”
India’s high commission in Ottawa sent a formal note to Canada’s foreign ministry to express displeasure. A day later, Dr Jaishankar cautioned the Canadian government that the activities of Khalistani elements on their territory could impact bilateral relations and have security implications. The foreign minister also mentioned Australia and the United Kingdom. The import of his address was clear, writes The Hindu “though Khalistani supporters are a vanishingly small constituency in India and increasingly marginalised abroad, New Delhi took a stern view of foreign governments continuing to provide space to these extremist elements, and that this will inevitably have an adverse impact on bilateral ties.”
Khalistani extremism in Canada dates back to the post-1984 period marked by anti-Sikh riots following Indira Gandhi’s assassination. In 1985, a Canada-based extremist outfit, Babbar Khalsa, plotted and executed the mid-air bombing of an Air India flight. The ideology saw a marked resurgence in the past decade, stoked by some religious outfits and patronised by local politicians looking to secure votes in elections. In 2018, Canada listed Khalistani extremism as a possible terror threat on its soil. Yet, to New Delhi’s exasperation, the Canadian government’s soft pedalling on pro-Khalistan lobbies hasn’t stopped.
After the appalling tableau, however, New Delhi appears to have drawn a line in the sand.
Canada’s dependence on ethnic Indian community
In the view of Vivek Katju (retired Indian Foreign Service officer) “Mr. Jaishankar did well to speak out, openly and forcefully, on Canada’s hypocritical approaches on human rights issues and its decades long disdain for the territorial integrity of India”
Katju mentions “the ethnic Indian community, including the Sikhs, plays an important role in Canada’s public life. There are currently some ethnic Indians in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet. At the press conference, Mr. Jaishankar mentioned Canada’s indulgence of Khalistani elements (he did not use the word, but that is clearly what he had in mind) and aptly attributed it to ‘vote bank’ politics. It is the ethnic Indian, and, in this case, not restricted to a Khalistani-‘vote bank’ that had led Mr. Trudeau to comment on the farmers’ agitation which was a purely domestic Indian issue. India naturally found Mr. Trudeau’s remarks unacceptable.”
Remarks of Jody Thomas, Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Adviser
Katju also brings attention to another significant issue which Jaishankar addressed during a media briefing related to the remarks of Jody Thomas, Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Adviser. Speaking at a conference organised by the Canada Global Affairs Institute on June 2, Ms. Thomas said, ‘When I talk about foreign interference and economic security, I’m now talking of a number of state actors and non-state proxies. This includes Russia, Iran, India.’ That said, writes Katju “the actor that comes up most on these issues, and it is no surprise to anybody, is China. In response Mr. Jaishankar…..rightly dismissed Ms. Thomas’ comment outright. India cannot be accused of seeking to influence Canadian domestic affairs if its diplomats openly interact with the Indian diaspora there. Indian diplomats have the obligation to point to the diaspora and others the harmful impact on bilateral ties when Canadian politicians support separatism in India. These diplomatic activities cannot be construed as interference in Canada’s internal affairs.
"The harsh reality of the current Canadian political situation is that Mr. Trudeau is critically dependent on the New Democratic Party (NDP) for his government’s survival and Jagmeet Singh, the NDP leader, is a committed Khalistan sympathiser. He had asked Mr. Trudeau to intervene in the events in Punjab surrounding radical preacher Amritpal Singh’s activities. Coming from a Canadian government ally, this was naturally unacceptable to India.”
Bilateral ties are passing through difficult times but cooperation in many areas continues, concludes Katju.
Canada is pandering to some of the most violent and aggressive groups
Last November, Canada also released its Indo-Pacific strategy underlining that its 'ability to maintain open skies, open trading systems and open societies, as well as to effectively address climate change, will depend in part on what happens over the next several decades in the Indo-Pacific region.'
For an administration that was seeking a free trade deal with Beijing till a few years back, Harsh V Pant (Vice President, Studies and Foreign Policy, Observer Research Foundation) states “this strategy articulating China as a ‘disruptive actor’ challenging the rules-based order was a remarkable shift in attitude. India is mentioned in the strategy as a key like-minded partner that needs to be engaged with. The visit of Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly to India in February was seen as an attempt by Ottawa to reframe the contours of the India-Canada engagement.
“The issue of Khalistan, however, has continued to dog India’s relationship with the Trudeau government refusing to give it the attention it deserves…..
"What is noteworthy in this case is that the majority of the Sikh diaspora in Canada has no sympathy for the shenanigans of the handful of extremists but their outsized presence in shaping the responses of the authorities has allowed them to hijack the whole situation. The Canadian government, instead of robustly standing up to extremism, has found it easier to pander to some of the most violent and aggressive groups. This is partly because of the manner in which these extremist groups have increased their influence over state institutions. They have used their muscle and money power to shape policy decisions by targeting key individuals and parties. The rise of Jagmeet Singh, a known India baiter and Khalistani sympathiser, in Canadian politics is just one case in point.”
