Relation between India and Canada (Current Khalistani Movement)

Relation between India and Canada (Current Khalistani Movement)

Introduction-

Relations between India and Canada hit a new low this week after Prime

Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa was probing "credible allegations of a

potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a

Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar."

Nijjar, a Sikh separatist activist who called for carving out of India an

independent state called Khalistan, was gunned down by unidentified

Relation between India and Canada (Current Khalistani Movement)

attackers outside his temple in Canada's western province of British Columbia

in June.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government swiftly rejected Canada's

suspicions as "absurd and motivated." In tit-for-tat moves, each side expelled

one of the other's diplomats.Now the two democracies are locked in a standoff

while their global partners face an awkward balancing act.

The current issue between Canada and India revolves around the killing of

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist activist, and the subsequent remarks

by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linking the incident to agents of

the Indian government. India rejected these claims, leading to a diplomatic

spat with tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats. Tensions are heightened due to

historical concerns about Sikh separatist activities in Canada and perceived

reluctance by Ottawa to address them. This issue strains bilateral relations

and has broader implications, impacting Indo-Pacific geopolitics and Canada's

engagement with India.

What is the Khalistan movement?

Khalistan, which means "Land of the Pure," is the homeland Sikh separatists

envision for people of their ethno-religious group in the northern Indian state

of Punjab. Sikhs make up nearly 60% of the state's population of over 30

million, whereas they are a minority among Hindu-majority India's 1.4 billion

people.

The religion dates back to the late 15th century, while the separatist movement

traces its roots to India's struggle for freedom from British rule, which ended

in August 1947. The idea of a Sikh homeland came up in talks before Punjab

was partitioned between two new countries, India and Pakistan.

Relation between India and Canada (Current Khalistani Movement)

The movement was most intense in the 1980s, when a Sikh insurgency and

counter-insurgency operations claimed thousands of lives, both Hindus and

Sikhs.

In June 1984, on orders from then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Indian

Army stormed the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine in Punjab's

Amritsar, to flush out militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a

prominent figure in the Khalistan movement. Bhindranwale was among about

400 people killed in the operation, known as "Blue Star."

That October, Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi by two Sikh bodyguards.

This triggered anti-Sikh riots in the capital and parts of northern India,

claiming nearly 3,000 lives.

What does Canada have to do with it?

Outside India, Canada has the world's largest Sikh population, nearly 800,000

strong. Sikh communities in the U.K. and U.S. are estimated at about 500,000

each. Australia is home to over 200,000 Sikhs.

At the height of the Khalistan movement, the violence spilled over when

separatists based in Canada were blamed for bombing Air India Flight 182 on

the Toronto-Montreal-London leg of a journey to India. All 329 people on

board were killed, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.

Over the years, India has repeatedly raised concerns about Sikh separatist

activity in Canada -- and what it perceives as Ottawa's reluctance to tackle it.

Earlier this year, India criticized Canada over a parade float that appeared to

glorify Indira Gandhi's assassination. "I think there is a larger underlying issue

about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who

advocate violence," External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said at the time. "I

think it is not good for relationships, not good for Canada."

Relation between India and Canada (Current Khalistani Movement)

Ottawa maintains that it rejects violence but upholds Sikh citizens' rights.

Canada defends "freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and peaceful

protest," Trudeau told reporters at the G20 in New Delhi this month.

As the tensions spiraled, India on Wednesday issued a warning to its nationals

in Canada, particularly students, to "exercise utmost caution."

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?

According to Khalistan Extremism Monitor, a project of the New Delhi-based

independent Institute for Conflict Management, Nijjar was born in the

Jalandhar district of Punjab in October 1977. He reportedly moved to Canada

in 1997 and worked as a plumber.

He is understood to have been elected unopposed to lead the Guru Nanak Sikh

temple in Surrey, B.C. At some stage, he also allegedly became chief of the

Khalistan Tiger Force, a separatist militant group.

"Nijjar is actively involved in training KTF militants and operationalizing

them in India," the Khalistan Extremism Monitor said, adding that Punjab

police filed a case against him in 2010 over an explosion near a Hindu temple

in the Indian state, and then in 2015 and 2016 for allegedly plotting to kill

religious leaders and organizing a training camp in Canada. "Although

Canadian authorities had briefly detained him in April 2018, he was released

without any charges being filed."

In July 2020, the Modi government declared Nijjar a "designated terrorist."

What does the spat mean for Indo-Pacific relations?

Canada's traditional allies, including the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, have

expressed concern over the allegations.

"We are in regular contact with our Canadian partners about serious

allegations raised in the Canadian Parliament," British Foreign Secretary

Relation between India and Canada (Current Khalistani Movement)

James Cleverly wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Important that Canada's

investigation runs its course and the perpetrators brought to justice."

Much could depend on what evidence that investigation turns up. But

Washington and others are in a difficult spot given India's position as a rising

power; as a member of the Quad security quartet with the U.S., Japan and

Australia; and as a counterweight to China.

Ottawa's own Indo-Pacific Strategy states that India's "growing strategic,

economic and demographic importance in the Indo-Pacific makes it a critical

partner in Canada's pursuit of its objectives." The document vows to

strengthen economic and other engagement with New Delhi. Yet even before

Trudeau's bombshell, India and Canada had "paused" talks on a free trade

deal.

In India, some questioned Trudeau's decision to go public.

Harsh V. Pant, a professor of international relations at King's College London

and vice president of studies and foreign policy at the Observer Research

Foundation think tank, told Nikkei Asia that the Canadian leader "seems to be

more driven by his domestic political agenda than any serious effort to find a

solution to a problem that India has been raising for a long time."

Pant said other countries have more "pragmatically" handled such concerns

behind the scenes.

He argued that Canada has "marginalized itself" in the Indo-Pacific. "You

cannot have an Indo-Pacific policy where you antagonize India, where you

make India the villain," Pant said, adding that for key players, India is a more

important partner than Canada for "defense, strategic and economic reasons."

In a release dated Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Defense detailed remarks

to the Hudson Institute by Siddharth Iyer, South Asia policy director for the

office of the Secretary of Defense. The relationship with India "is one of the
Relation between India and Canada (Current Khalistani Movement)

top priorities for the department," Iyer said. "Our belief is that getting the U.S.

and India relationship right is not just necessary, it's essential to achieving our

strategy in the Indo-Pacific."

India Reaction towards such kind of issue-

India's current policy towards Canada is influenced by the recent diplomatic

tensions stemming from the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist

activist. The Indian government swiftly rejected Canada's claims of a potential

link between its agents and the killing. The exchange of expulsions of

diplomats further underscores the strain in bilateral relations. India has

expressed concerns about Sikh separatist activities in Canada, urging Ottawa

to address the issue. The spat could impact the broader Indo-Canadian

relationship, including trade talks, and may influence India's perspective on

Canada's role in the Indo-Pacific region.

Canada Reaction towards the issue-

Canada's current policy towards India is marked by tensions arising from the

killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the subsequent statements by Prime

Minister Justin Trudeau linking the incident to the Indian government.

Canada has expressed concern over the allegations and initiated a probe,

which has led to a diplomatic spat with India. Despite historical ties, including

a significant Sikh population in Canada, the recent events strain bilateral

relations. Trudeau's public remarks have been met with criticism, and the

situation could impact Canada's engagement with India, including trade talks

and the broader Indo-Pacific relationship.

Conclusion-

Canada's current policy towards India is marked by tensions arising from the

killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the subsequent statements by Prime

Minister Justin Trudeau linking the incident to the Indian government.

Relation between India and Canada (Current Khalistani Movement)

Canada has expressed concern over the allegations and initiated a probe,

which has led to a diplomatic spat with India. Despite historical ties, including

a significant Sikh population in Canada, the recent events strain bilateral

relations. Trudeau's public remarks have been met with criticism, and the

situation could impact Canada's engagement with India, including trade talks

and the broader Indo-Pacific relationship.