An Indian politician has accused the Canadian government of enabling and supporting Khalistani terrorists.
Amarinder Singh, First Minister of the Indian state of Punjab, believes that Canada’s complicity with the Khalistani cause is so severe that his country should sanction Canada.
India must “mount global pressure on Canada to put an end to the use of its soil to unleash terror against India, particularly the Sikh community being targeted by Khalistani terrorists,” Singh says.
“India had, for too long, been soft towards Canada and needed to crack its whip aggressively, even seek UN sanctions if needed, to end the growing threat once and for all.”
While most Sikhs in Canada are peaceful and patriotic citizens, a powerful faction advocate for an independent Sikh state to be carved out of India. Many in this faction call for violence and condone terrorism as a means to achieve their agenda.
Singh has also accused the Trudeau government of pandering to Khalistanis in an attempt to win votes in the Sikh community.
“It is obvious that Trudeau had played safe in view of the upcoming elections in Canada, giving in to pressure within his country,” said Singh. “The world cannot afford to fan extremism in any form, which is what the Trudeau government was effectively doing with such ill-thought moves.”
Trudeau infamously brought a Khalistani extremist, Jaspal Atwal, to a reception during his 2018 state trip to India.
In 1986, Atwal had been charged with attempting to assassinate an Indian official on Vancouver Island and was sentenced to 20 years.
Khalistani terrorists were responsible for the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history, bombing Air India Flight 182 in 1985, killing 328 people, 268 of whom were Canadians.
Khalistani groups have remained active in Canada, with some even putting on public events and displays of support for the violent cause.
In December activists held an event in Brampton to honour a Pakistani general for allegedly aiding the Khalistani cause.
The Trudeau government also removed references to Khalistani extremism from the 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada, a move which outraged many, including Amarinder Singh. Singh accused Trudeau of “vote pandering.”
Although the Canadian government recognizes two Khalistani groups as terrorist organizations, the ignorance towards the threat of Khalistani extremism by the Trudeau government may continue to enrage the Indian government and endanger people in both countries.
