Insulting the Canadian Sikh Khalistani Groups

"Carney's decision is not merely a diplomatic miscalculation."

"It is a direct insult to the Sikh community and a grave threat to the integrity of Canada's institutions."

"[Members of Parliament must speak out about the invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and] reafirm commitment to holding Indian officials accountable for interference and violence in Canada."

"[The decision to host Modi is] reprehensible."

"It sends an unequivocally clear message: the safety, dignity and rights of Sikhs in Canada are expendable." 

World Sikh Organization/ British Columbia Gurdwaras Council / Sikh Federation / Ontario Gurdwaras Committee/ Quebec Sikh Council 

Narendra Modi speaks in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, last year. Photograph: Dean Kassim/AFP via Getty Images

 

Interference in New Delhi's affairs and violence perpetrated against India by radical Canadian Sikh groups and individuals created the largest, most deadly act of terrorism ever plotted and carried out within Canada in a deadly scheme that succeeded in killing Canadian citizens who happened to be Hindus in June of 1982, in the infamous Air India Flight 182 when 329 people on board, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens, and 22 Indian citizens were blown up along with their aircraft. 

 

Sikh militants in Canada have continuously agitated for a breakaway state of their own in the Punjab, they refer to as Khalistan. Before and after the ghastly tragedy these radical Sikh Canadians have been involved in violence of one kind or another, including public demonstrations celebrating the assassination death of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at the hands of her Sikh bodyguards. They have, as committed Khalistanis, defaced images of Indian Prime Minister Modi, at their protests, and hanged him in effigy. 

 

Parade float depicting Indira Gandhi's assassination at an event organized by pro-Khalistani supporters in Brampton city of Canada. (Screengrab from video tweeted by @BalrajDeol4)

 

So much for 'interference' in other countries, that they now bitterly accuse India being guilty of, in Canada. The government of Canada has never attempted to stifle these protests, including conferences where Khalistani terrorists are celebrated as heroes. The agitation committed by Sikh Canadian extremist groups is responsible for demonizing by default, Hindu-Canadians whose citizenship in Canada equals in number (about 800,000) that of the Sikhs, and whose activities go a long way to creating sectarian-tribal stress and alienation, threatening national security.

 

The “punishment” posters displayed during a parade in Brampton -- Hindustan Times 

 

An invitation went out from the current Liberal government of Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed to the Indian Prime Minister, to attend the G7 leaders' summit to take place in Kananaskis, Alberta, June 15 to 17, under understandably tight security arrangements. Members of the G7 are Canada, the U.S., U.K., France, Japan, Germany and Italy. It is not unusual for the rotating leader of the G7 summits -- usually with the tacit agreement of the other members -- to invite leaders of other countries to attend. For this summit, Mexico's President Sheinbaum, India's Prime Minister, and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmon were invited to attend.

 

The major Canadian Sikh organizations sent an open letter to the Liberal government of their outrage over the invitation extended to Prime Minister Modi. Canada's previous prime minister, Justin Trudeau standing in Parliament, had released a publicity and diplomatic bombshell in accusing Mr. Modi's government of involvement in the murder of a British Columbia Sikh involved in the Khalistani movement who was agitating for a 'vote' to take place on the matter of a Khalistani state.

 

The parade included a large truck with a mock-up of a jail that had effigies of PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The parade took place in Toronto.

 

The letter of outrage was sent to 23 Members of Parliament with various Canadian political parties across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta representing ridings with sizeable Sikh populations. According to Statistics Canada, Canada has the second-largest Sikh population outside of India.  

"What kind of a message does this send to us, that our lives are expendable for the sake of trade or economic ties."

"[There has been] outrage [across the Sikh community]. It feels as though this is adding injury to insult." 

"Many [of the MPs who received the letter are expected to attend meetings to discuss the issue]." 

Moninder Singh, national spokesman, Sikh Federation  

The Khalistani referendum organizer and activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar had been shot to death by assassins outside a gurdwara in June of 2023. As far as Indian authority was concerned, Mr. Nijjar was a terrorist, a prominent activist in the Khalistan movement. Four Indian nationals have been charged and will stand trial for his murder. India is piqued with Canada for allowing Sikh extremists to thrive in Canada, obviously interfering in Indian politics and occasionally with deadly results. Asking Canada, nation-to-nation to extradite Canadian Sikhs found guilty in India of terrorism has been fruitless.

 

 

 

The reality is that it is expatriate Sikhs in Canada, Britain and elsewhere who continually agitate against India, calling for a Khalistan state. In India itself, Sikhs are fairly disinterested. They may once have been allies in the move to rally for a state of their own, but in present-day India, most Sikhs seem more than comfortable considering themselves to be members of the Indian state, and have no interest in pushing the government to grant a partition of India. 

 

Kolkata: Peoples from the Sikh community stage a protest against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari after he allegedly called a Sikh IPS officer 'Khalistani', outside BJP office, in Kolkata, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (PTI Photo)(PTI02_21_2024_000237B) (PTI)