IS CANADA INDIA'S NEWEST ENEMY- Gen NITIN P GADKARI PART 1

The Indo-Canada feud was known to most people. While it was known that the relations were on a cold track, the allegations by Justin Trudeau in the Canadian parliament against the Indian government have come as a jolt. What would be the after-effects, and where would India-Canada ties go from here? This piece tries to analyse and answer some questions. It would take a long time before the long-term impact of the crisis is well understood. I hope, for the time being, some questions have been answered. Happy reading.

IS CANADA INDIA'S NEWEST ENEMY

Hollywood movies have been the best barometer to understand America's shifting enemy number one. Depiction of the villain's nationality and business interests were symbolic of US foreign policy concerns. From World War II to the Mission Impossible series, Hollywood showcased villains in ways that would be hard for foreign policy mandarins to portray. A somewhat similar trend is seen in Bollywood movies, too. Would the next Bollywood movie villain be a Canadian? That possibility seems bright in the aftermath of Justin Trudeau's unsubstantiated allegations in the Canadian parliament against India, accusing the Indian government of having a hand in killing a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Justin Trudeau, a Canadian citizen, was declared a terrorist by India in 2020. A man known for violent terrorist acts in India, the Indian government had submitted an extradition request. Najjar was gunned down earlier this year in June 2023 near a Sikh temple in Surrey in the British Columbia Province of Canada by two unidentified bike-borne assailants. India has called these allegations absurd. By stating unproven allegations in the nation's parliament, Justin Trudeau has raised the banner of a political and diplomatic offensive against India.

Historical Perspective

 Canada has been sympathetic to the Pro Khalistan Sikh lobby in their country since the early 1970s. It is hard to pinpoint why it started, but it's easy to explain why it exists today. The easiest way to describe Canada's honeymoon with Pro Khalistan is their lack of understanding of the ramifications of Khalistan politics and their unwillingness to rap the knuckles of a community contributing handsomely to the Canadian economy.

 Canada has been a favoured destination for Indians looking for greener pastures abroad and for Indian students pursuing higher studies. Canada, too, was eager and happy to have a migrant population who were hard-working and studious. It fitted their requirements admirably. People from Punjab benefitted the most from this open-door Canadian policy. They migrated in numbers and took up many jobs which were hard for locals to run. Farming, truck business, highway petrol pumps and restaurants are a few examples. The Sikh population, with their never-say-die approach, thrived and became prosperous.

The turbulent period of the eighties saw a large influx of the Sikh population migrating to Canada under the pretext of persecution by the Indian government. They were pro-Khalistan and Bhindranwle supporters escaping the law after Operation Blue Star. Canadian government proved to be a tacit supporter of these people, who organised into a pro-Khalistan group under the leadership of Sikh leaders like Talwinder Singh Parmar, who was in cahoots with Jagjit Singh Chohan, the self-styled leader of Khalistan operating from London. Under Parmar's leadership, Air India Flight 182 of Kanishka was bombed from Toronto to London. 329 people died, making it the worst aviation tragedy in mid-air until 9/11. Canada botched up the investigation, and despite the plethora of evidence and a commission finding, only one man was convicted of manslaughter, and all he got was fifteen years imprisonment.

The above narrative proves the history of Canada in turning a blind eye to the proliferating pro-Khalistan elements on its soil. The neglect became a compulsion. As Sikhs became more prosperous, their political ambitions and pro-Khalistan roots surfaced more prominent than ever before. They took seats in the Canadian parliament and, since the 2021 general elections, became coalition partners with Justin Trudeau's liberal party. The Liberal Party was ten short of the majority in a 338-seat parliament. They took the support of the NDP (New Democratic Party) led by the Pro Khalistan Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh. The NDP had secured 25 seats. The main opposition to the Liberal Party comes from the conservative party, which could secure only 119 seats, and Bloc Quebecois, who got 32 seats. Given this equation, Jagmeet Singh's NDP became the kingmaker and now calls the shots in charting Justin Trudeau's India policy.

 Is Justin Trudeau Justified in Accusing India?

The answer to this question lies in the politics of Justin Trudeau and his party. For long, the liberals have been hobnobbing with the Khalistani elements in Canada. They are prosperous and added to the vote bank, and party funds resonated with the political parties. However, their understanding of its ramifications in India was poorly understood or, at best, ignored. The Indian governments, cutting across party lines, had been requesting the Canadian governments to reign in the separatist elements who had taken shelter in Canada. In 2015, a lookout notice was sent to the Canadian government on Hardeep Sing Nijjar, the terrorist at the centre of the controversy over his extradition to India. The Canadian government was conspicuous by its inaction to the Indian government's request. The final nail in the coffin was when, in 2017, Justin Trudeau, as the prime minister of Canada, attended a Sikh parade in Toronto which voiced a cessation from India by displaying Khalistan flags and photos of Bhindranwale, the separatist militant leader killed in Operation Blue Star, in 1984. India sent a strong demarche to the Canadian high commissioner in New Delhi, condemning the presence of their prime minister at such an event, which openly advocated for separatism in India. Justin Trudeau's India stance was thus clear; he refused to act against Canada's free speech and demonstrations tradition. He, therefore, was on the foreign ministry sights for a diplomatic snub. His 2018 state visit to India was exactly that: A Great Snub. His week-long visit saw the Canadian prime minister shuttling across the length and breadth of the nation in a photo op without meeting any senior government functionary. Suppose the recent utterings in his parliament have their origins in that state tour, then it won't come as a surprise to Canada watchers.

The freeze that started in 2018 between the two nations peaked in the recent G 20 visit. It was known before the meeting that relations with Canada were going only one way: South, thanks to their undeterred support of the Khalistan faction at home. Posters had appeared on the streets threatening Indian diplomats with dire consequences, meaning death threats. A tableau called a 'Float' in Canada was taken out in a referendum parade by Khalistan Supporters eulogising the brutal killing of Mrs Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguard in June this year. India condemned the entire proceedings and took up this matter with the Canadian government and their high commission in India but to no avail. It was then clear that the Justin Trudeau government was out of its depth to take any concrete action against the pro-Khalistan elements in Canada. Hence, the future was known to be bleak. What followed in the G20 and the aftermath was a foregone conclusion. Is Justin Trudeau justified in doing what he did? It would depend upon which side one is on. From an Indian perspective, he is out of political depth to start such a political misadventure, which could bury him politically at home and abroad.