Khalistani elements’ madness under Trudeau’s watch continues in Canada India vs disinformation 06 Nov 2024
Khalistani elements’ madness under Trudeau’s watch continues in Canada India vs disinformation 06 Nov 2024
Throughout the diplomatic spat with Canada, PM Modi maintained a dignified silence. Justin Trudeau on the other hand jumped up and down, addressed the press on numerous occasions, accused India in the parliament, begged global leaders for support, desperate to prove that India was behind the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He got nothing but few words of solace. No nation truly believed him and backed him. None was willing to confront India, aware that Trudeau was on slippery ground.
There was silence from PM Modi even when India and Canada removed senior diplomats from one another’s soil. All comments flowed from the Indian MEA spokesperson and the EAM, Dr S Jaishankar. Desperate for more attention, the Canadian government attempted to draw in India’s home minister, Amit Shah, into the spat. Again, a zero as no nation backed Canada. On the contrary, Trudeau was laughed at.
PM Modi first tweeted when so-called Khalistani supporters attacked the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton. This, for PM Modi, was a Red Line. He tweeted, ‘I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.’
Modi mentioning the word ‘deliberate’ was hitting Trudeau direct as he accused Ottawa of planning and orchestrating the attack. Such was the shame in Canada that none could counter PM Modi’s comment. Combining other aspects including the intimidation and monitoring of Indian diplomats into a single tweet, Modi sent a strong message to Canada that Justin Trudeau is to blame for the all the mess and must act against those responsible.
The MEA too responded with equal force. Its statement read, ‘We call on the Government of Canada to ensure that all places of worship are protected from such attacks. We also expect that those indulging in violence will be prosecuted. We remain deeply concerned about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada.’ India is going all guns blazing at Canada while Ottawa ducks and waits for the impact of the incident to recede.
It is evident that diplomatic ties will remain in limbo for some time to come and India will not back down, unless the Canadian government changes or apologizes. India will seek justice and punishment for the perpetrators, while Canada will claim it is its internal matter. India must demand a joint probe with the Canadian authorities on similar lines as they are demanding on the Nijjar case. India now has the upper hand.
Trudeau and his colleagues in Canada, including the opposition leader and members of his government, too tweeted on the incident. There was no comment from the Canadian foreign office. Politicians from Canada, who tweeted, did so solely on the attack and freedom of worship. Not a single statement mentioned dealing harshly with those behind the attack. They could not, after all, it had the backing of Trudeau’s government.
While Trudeau praised the Peel police for its actions, others accused the same police of biases. Hindus and Sikhs jointly protested the next day across Canada against the prejudiced approach of the Peel police which Trudeau falsely praised.
The event in the Temple was organized by the High Commission to assist Indo-Canadians in resolving their problems and was attended by members of all communities, including Canadian Sikhs. Notice of the event was given to the Canadian government. Its failure to prevent the violence was a display of the leanings of the police, which is to back Khalistan supporters.
Canada, which had been seeking support for its accusations of India began facing global anger. Australia was the first to condemn the incident. Its foreign minister, Penny Wong, mentioned, ‘Vandalism should be dealt with appropriate law enforcement authorities,’ words which no Canadian leader has yet mentioned. Others would follow suit.
Canada has a 2% Sikh and 3% Hindu population. The number of Sikhs supporting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s Khalistan demand are just a few thousands. Majority have no interest in the movement, are hardworking and seek to provide for their families. Many have close links with India. Media limelight is grabbed by these few uneducated and unemployed protestors, forcing the common individual to stereotype Sikh residents of Canada. The close relationship within the Indian expatriate community is now damaged solely because of Trudeau’s fight for political survival.
Trudeau backs those supporting the Khalistan movement, mainly for political survival. He would now face anger from the rest of the Indian community. In forthcoming elections, both Trudeau and his sole supporter, Jagmeet Singh would be ignored by the Indo-Canadian community. Trudeau, instead of projecting ‘Canada first’ has been playing ‘protect my chair,’ and has ended up damaging Ottawa’s reputation and global standing.
However, there is possibly a far deeper conspiracy than just simple violence by few supporters of a so-called Khalistan. The entire focus of the Canadian government in drawing India into the limelight, is to shift the blame from Chinese interference in Canadian politics to Indian.
Relations between China and Canada had plummeted to new lows with the detention of the Huawei chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in Canada in Dec 2018, on the request of the US. In retaliation, China arrested two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, in Beijing. All were released near simultaneously after almost three years.
Since then, Beijing has been accused of interfering in Canadian politics. Reports mention China having blatantly interfered in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 elections as also having established illegal police stations in Canada to monitor its expatriate community. Chinese interference is currently being debated in Canada’s parliament. By blaming India for Nijjar’s killings, the focus has shifted from China to India. This benefits Trudeau as he gained from Chinese interference.
The other reason is the intent of the US and Pakistan deep state, exploiting Canada, to create a rift within the Hindu and Sikh communities in both, Canada and India. An attack on a Hindu temple by just a handful of Khalistan supporters will be seen by many as being an attack by Sikhs, ignoring the fact that majority Sikhs have no interest in the movement. Such was the impact of the divide that the priest of the temple in Brampton, where devotees were attacked, warned community members, ‘batoge to katoge’ (division will bring annihilation).
To add fuel to fire, Pannun, backed by the US and Canadian government as also funded by Pak’s ISI, had warned Hindus against celebrating Diwali, threatening disruptions at temples. He had further mentioned that his organization had been advising the Canadian government for the past few years, a fact not denied by Canada. It was this message of Pannun which galvanised his supporters into attacking the Temple.
In future, all Khalistan protests will be resisted by pro-India supporters in equal measure. Violence will flow on Canadian streets. This will damage Canada’s global reputation and further sink ties between the two states. Trudeau would possibly end up as the worst PM of Canada, even worse than his father, Pierre Trudeau, who botched up the Kanishka probe.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army