Justin Trudeau linked the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada to India, expelled the Indian diplomat
image source, Getty Images
The tension in relations between India and Canada has further increased.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has alleged that the Indian government may be behind the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Indian government has been rejecting the allegations of Nijjar’s murder. After Trudeau’s statement, the response of the Indian government is awaited.
Canada has also expelled India’s top diplomat in view of the investigation into India’s role in Nijjar’s murder.
Just a few days ago, Trudeau had come to India to participate in the G-20 conference. During his meeting with Trudeau during this tour, PM Modi raised the issue of Sikh separatist activities in Canada and attacks on Indian diplomats.
Shortly after Trudeau’s return to the country, a spokesperson for Canadian Commerce Minister Mary Ng had said on Friday that Canada has stopped negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement with India.
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image source, reuters
What else did Trudeau say?
On June 18 this year, Nijjar was shot dead outside a Gurudwara in British Columbia, Canada.
Trudeau said, “Canadian agencies have determined that the Indian government may be behind Nijjar’s murder.”
The Canadian PM said that he had also raised this issue with PM Modi during the G-20 conference.
Trudeau said in the Canadian Parliament, “It is unacceptable for a foreign government to be behind the murder of a Canadian citizen on our country’s soil and it is a violation of our sovereignty.”
Trudeau said, “This is against the basic rules under which democratic, free and open societies operate.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said on Monday that Indian diplomat Pawan Kumar Rai has been expelled due to the investigation of this case.
After this decision of the Trudeau government, BBC tried to contact the Indian Embassy in Canada but did not get any response.
image source, FB/VIRSA SINGH VALTOHA
Hardeep Singh Nijjar
What did the Foreign Minister say?
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said that due to the investigation into Nijjar’s murder, Canadian officials can only say a limited number of things publicly.
Earlier, investigators had said in Nijjar’s murder case that it was a conspiracy.
Nijjar was an important Sikh leader of Canada and publicly supported Khalistan. Nijjar’s supporters had said that due to his activities he had been receiving many threats in the past also.
The Indian government has been calling Nijjar the head of terrorist and separatist organizations. Nijjar’s supporters reject these allegations.
Nijjar was the third Sikh leader to die in recent months.
In the month of June itself, Avtar Singh Khanda of Britain was also found dead under mysterious circumstances in Birmingham. He was the chief of Khalistan Liberation Force.
Paramjit Singh Panjwar was also murdered in Lahore. The Indian government calls Paramjeet a terrorist.
Trudeau said in the Canadian Parliament that the issue of Nijjar’s murder was raised at a high level in Delhi.
Canada said that this issue was also raised with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Trudeau said, “I want to say very strongly that the Indian government should cooperate with Canada in this matter.” Nijjar’s murder has angered Canadian citizens and some are worried about their safety.
image source, Getty Images
How will Canada react to Trudeau’s strictness?
Some Sikh organizations in Canada have welcomed Trudeau’s decision.
World Sikh Organization is also included in these organizations. This organization said in a statement that this was already being said among the community, Trudeau’s statement has confirmed it.
14 to 18 lakh people of Indian origin live in Canada. Apart from Punjab, Sikhs are most numerous in Canada.
That is why when Trudeau came to India to participate in the G-20 meeting, these issues were also raised in his meeting with PM Modi.
Experts had said that the meeting between the two leaders was tense.
After this meeting, in the statement issued by the Government of India, it was said that PM Modi had accused Canada of not taking necessary steps to control anti-India activities.
Justin Trudeau said that India is interfering in Canada’s domestic politics.
Trudeau’s plane also broke down in Delhi and due to this he was able to go to Canada two days late than scheduled.
image source, reuters
Distance increased rapidly after G-20
As soon as Canadian PM Trudeau returned to the country after the G-20, relations with India started growing apart.
On September 15, Canada had stopped negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement with India.
India was Canada’s tenth largest trading partner in the year 2022. In 2022-23, India exported goods worth $4.10 billion to Canada. In 2021-22, this figure was 3.76 billion dollars.
Whereas Canada exported goods worth $4.05 billion to India in 2022-23. In 2021-22, this figure was 3.13 billion dollars.
At least 600 Canadian companies are operating in India.
Harsh V Pant, vice president of the Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation and an expert on international affairs, told the BBC, “As long as Trudeau is in government, the situation does not seem to be getting better. I think Trudeau has made it a personal issue. They feel they are being personally attacked.
He had said, “India was vocally expressing its views on the Khalistan issue and there were also talks on business. But Trudeau’s new stance seems to indicate that he is finding himself on the back foot. Therefore, they have also become vocal about tensions with India.
image source, RAGHU RAI
damaged akal takht
Sikhism and India: Some Facts
- Sikhs are a small religious group in terms of population.
- There are about 25 million followers of Sikhism around the world and most of them are in India.
- Sikh extremism had begun to take root in India in the 1980s. During this period, many people involved in the government were murdered.
- The government is also accused of openly violating human rights to control Sikh extremism.
- In 1984, the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi sent soldiers to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Golden Temple is a holy place for Sikhs. Armed Sikh militants were gathered in the Golden Temple. The government says that hundreds of people were killed in the military action, but many people say that the number of deaths is higher.
- On 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.
image source, Getty Images
Khalistan supporters protest in Canada
Canada and the Sikh community
In 1985, there was an explosion on an Air India flight going from Toronto to London and all 329 people on board were killed. It is seen as the most dangerous and deadly terrorist attack and massacre in Canada.
In 2005, two Sikh separatists from British Columbia were released after a lengthy investigation. Many witnesses in this case were killed or murdered or were intimidated from testifying.
In this case, a third Sikh man was found guilty of bomb making and giving false testimony in the murder trial.
Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was released in this case in 2005, was shot. Two people were later arrested, but the murder upset the Sikh community in British Columbia.
India considers the Khalistan movement as a threat to its national security. But it is believed that there are Sikhs sympathizing with this movement all over the world. India has strong objection to Khalistani activities, especially in Canada and Britain.
According to the 2021 census, there are 770,000 in Canada.
When Trudeau became Prime Minister in 2015, there were a total of four Sikhs in his cabinet. Jagmeet Singh of the centre-left New Democratic Party is also a Sikh. According to the Washington Post report, Jagmeet Singh used to attend Khalistan rallies before becoming the party leader.
This post originally appeared on www.bbc.com