Canadian Extremism Against India

Canada has decided to wreck the India-Canada relations. There has been continuous thrust by the Justin Trudeau led Canadian Government to leave no stone unturned to bring the relations between the two nations to the point of no return. After the worst belligerence shown by Canada defined by hostile posturing against India and accusing India to engineer the elimination of the Khalistani radicals in Canada, it has repeatedly indulged in denigrating India. It was in this backdrop that India withdrew its High Commissioner in Canada, Sanjay Verma from Ottawa along with other officials on 14th October. This was indeed a big development as the Canadian Government has left no other option open to maintain the bilateral relations and created a logjam for the Indian diplomats to function in a cordial manner on Canadian soil. Not only that Canada has violated the basic courtesy that it must offer to the diplomatic mission representing India in Canada. Indian consular officials have been put under audio and video surveillance. Thus breaching the right to privacy to the officials. This has been revealed by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) Randhir Jaiswal. He has said, “ Some of our consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian Government that they have been, and continued to be, under audio and video surveillance. Their communications have also been intercepted……..We have formally protested with the Canadian Government as we deem these actions to be flagrant violation of relevant diplomatic and consular conventions”. It is no secret now that Canadian politics is guided by hostility towards India. Things took an ugly turn when Canada started levelling accusations on the Indian officials in Canada as the “persons of interest” in the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani supporter based in Surrey, British Columbia. It must be noted that Canada upped the ante keeping in view the presence of the radical Khalistani groups in Canada and their influence on the Sikh community to affect the electoral outcomes. Their resourcefulness and contribution in terms of political fundings based on community involvement through local “Gulaks” has indeed been a primary factor of this hostility towards India. It must be underlined that there is a concerted effort to target India and influence international opinion to tarnish the Indian image. This has been started with a definite motive with an added thrust from 31st October . As it was on this day on 31st October in 1984 that anti-Sikh riots had started after the assassination of the then Prime Minister late Mrs. Indira Gandhi who ordered the “Operation Blue Star” to end terrorism in Punjab. Khalistani radicals and Canadian Government are working in tandem to denigrate India by bailing out the terror cartels and their patrons in Canada. It is in this backdrop that Jagmeet Singh who represents the New Democratic Party of Canada has alleged that there is an Indian campaign against the Khalistani elements in Canada and has equated it with 1984 anti-Sikh riots. This must sound alarm bells and there is a need to intensify the diplomatic efforts to beat the collaboration of Khalistani and Canadian nexus to spread the false narrative meant to give a safe passage to Khalistani terrorism meant to destabilise India externally and internally. Things have not stopped here but they have went beyond. Canada has made baseless and malicious allegations against the Home Minister of India, Amit Shah. They have accused him of anti-Khalistan actions in Canada. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has responded to this allegation as “absurd” and “baseless”. Taking the Canadian accusations head on ,he said, “ It was conveyed in the Note that the Government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless reference made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Deputy Minister David Morrison……..” .This is certainly meant to give patronage to the terror modules that are conspiring to damage the Indian interests by violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India. This can lead to serious repercussions not only in terms of bilateral relations but will encourage terrorists working against India to pose a threat to the Indian leaders. As such India must not take time to give appropriate response to the nefarious Canadian designs to destabilise India through Khalistani radicals. Morrison’s brief to the members of the Public Safety and National Security Committee of the Canadian Parliament on the alleged foreign interference in Canada’s internal affairs on 29th October is indeed a cause of concern that must prompt India to deflate Canadian pro –Khalistani posturing. In this briefing he had confirmed to a US newspaper about the involvement of the Indian Home Minister in the plot to kill Canadian citizens(in this case it means pro-Khalistani supporters who are Canadian citizens).These unfounded insinuations need an apt action and for this the Canadian Government must be made accountable .Canadian extremism against India is meant to destabilise India’s national security and territorial integrity and this patronage of terror and bailing out the terror modules from its soil must be brought to an immediate end at the earliest.