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Journalism of Courage
Relations between India and Canada, strained due to the latter’s alleged leniency toward supporters of Khalistan, hit a new low on Tuesday (September 19). Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed there was evidence to suggest India’s involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, designated as a terrorist by India, in Surrey this June. The Indian government rejected these allegations and accused Canada of providing shelter to Khalistani extremists.
This isn’t the first time these tensions have flared up. In 1998, Ottawa recalled its high commissioner to India following nuclear tests. The rift between the two nations became apparent as early as 1948 when Canada supported a plebiscite in Kashmir.
In recent years
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in power since 2014, and Justin Trudeau, who assumed leadership of Canada a year later, have been at odds over the issue of Khalistani extremism for some time now. After appointing four Sikhs to his 30-member Cabinet in 2015, Trudeau boasted about having more Sikhs in his ministry than Modi. However, buzz about his proximity to individuals sympathetic to Khalistan’s cause strained bilateral relations.
In 2017, then Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh refused to meet Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan, accusing him of associating with separatists. A year later, Trudeau got a cool reception during his visit to India when he was received at the airport by Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat instead of PM Modi. India was further aggravated when Jaspal Atwal, convicted of attempting to assassinate an Indian Cabinet minister in 1986, was invited to dine with Trudeau, even though the invitation was later rescinded. Trudeau had jokingly called it “the trip to end all trips.”
There seemed to be a thaw in relations when the Canadian government released its annual ‘Public Report on the Terrorist Threat to Canada’ in December 2018, mentioning ‘Sikh extremism’ and Khalistan for the first time. The report noted that Canada faced threats from individuals inspired by various forms of extremism, including Sikh (Khalistani) extremists, though the attacks by Khalistanis in Canada were limited. In 2018, Canada and India also set up a framework for co-operating on anti-terrorism activities.
However, a year later, Canada revised the report just a day before Vaisakhi, removing all mentions of Khalistan and Sikh extremism. This omission was criticised by then Punjab CM Amarinder, who had previously provided Trudeau with a list of extremists in Canada, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Canadian government asserts that it has been working to improve its relations with India through trade and commerce. However, it faces challenges due to India’s singular focus on Khalistan. Canadian officials argue that the separatist movement is relatively insignificant, and the referendums on Khalistan organised by the banned Sikhs for Justice are within the bounds of the law. Some also point to the failed referendum in Quebec in 1995, which was allowed even though the province was voting to determine if it should declare independence from Canada. Nevertheless, tensions have escalated since these referendums commenced in November last year.
In 2020, India accused Trudeau of inciting extremists when he expressed concerns about New Delhi’s response to the farmers’ protest, pledging support for their rights.
In March 2022, Trudeau’s Liberal Party formed an alliance with the New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Jagmeet Singh, who openly endorsed the Khalistan Referendum on Canadian soil, framing it as a “fundamental human right of Canadian Sikhs protected by local and international laws.”
During the recent G20 summit in New Delhi, PM Modi conveyed “strong concerns” about “continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements” in Canada.
During militancy in India
Canada’s connection to the Khalistan cause isn’t new. Long-time residents recall Surjan Singh Gill, born in Singapore and raised in India and England, establishing the ‘Khalistan government in exile’ office in Vancouver on January 26, 1982, even issuing blue Khalistani passports and colorful currency. However, he garnered limited support among local Sikhs, with some of his activists displaying Khalistan posters being beaten up during the Vaisakhi procession in April.
The militancy that emerged in Punjab in the early 1980s had repercussions in Canada as well. In 1982, then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (Justin Trudeau’s father) declined to extradite Talwinder Singh Parmar, accused of killing two police officers in Punjab. Canadian journalist Terry Milewski documented this in his book ‘Blood For Blood,’ noting that the Canadian response to the Khalistani challenge was criticised by Indian politicians, including Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982.
The aftermath of Operation Bluestar, launched by the Indian army to root out militants from the Golden Temple in June 1984, and the ensuing damage to the Akal Takht, the holiest Sikh temporal seat, bolstered this movement among the diaspora.
Subsequently, the International Sikh Youth Federation [ISYF] and the Babbar Khalsa emerged in Britain, while the World Sikh Organisation originated in Canada and the US. ISYF, banned in Canada in 2003, openly advocated for an independent Sikh state free from ‘Hindu imperialism.’
Canada suffered its most horrific acts of terrorism when the Babbar Khalsa orchestrated the bombing of Air India Kanishka in June 1985, resulting in 331 civilian deaths, including 80 children. Investigations revealed that Talwinder Singh Parmar, who headed the Babbar Khalsa in Punjab, had masterminded the bombing.
Recently, the Surrey school board withdrew permission for holding a referendum on one of their school campuses because the organisers plastered the venue with posters of Parmar.
With changing govts
The Khalistan movement in Canada has seen many ups and downs over the years, often mirroring the changing politics of India and the subcontinent.
It seemed to wane after the Vajpayee government came to power, with Bhisham Agnihotri, then ambassador at large, engaging with prominent Khalistanis, hinting at reconciliation.
During the tenure of Conservative Party’s Stephen Harper as Canadian PM from 2006 to 2015, Canada and India enjoyed strong relations, marked by 19 high-level visits from Canada to India and the joint celebration of 2011 as the Year of India in Canada. Modi also visited Canada in 2015, signing numerous memorandums of understanding.
Amardeep Singh, counsel for passport, visa, and community affairs in Vancouver in 2014, stated that initially, the Modi government also made efforts towards reconciliation. “At least 400 people in my jurisdiction in western Canada were removed from the blacklist. I met with many radicals, and there were hardly any protests outside the consulate during those days.”
With over 7.7 lakh Sikhs, constituting approximately 2 per cent of Canada’s total population, the Sikh community holds significant political influence in Canada, boasting 18 Sikh MPs in the Canadian parliament in 2019, surpassing the 13 Sikh MPs in India.
The ongoing tensions between the two nations and the Khalistan movement have had another consequence: a 2018 report by the intelligence and analysis division of the Canada Border Services Agency revealed a 246 per cent increase in asylum claims by Indian nationals, primarily Punjabis. Experts suggest this may be another tactic employed by immigration agents.
Meanwhile, a research paper titled ‘The Khalistan Movement and Its Impact in Canada’, published by the University of Alberta earlier this year, indicates that interest in the Khalistan movement in Canada has waned, and the issue is less prominent than before. Those who still fervently support the movement are often second-generation Canadians who have not lived or spent substantial time in the Punjab region. Their beliefs regarding Khalistan are based on hearsay and a simplified narrative shaped by pro-Khalistani social media and music.
