While the Khalistan independence movement has simmered down in India, the cause has gained renewed momentum in other parts of the world, including the United Kingdom and Italy, attracting large groups of Sikh protesters calling for an independent nation within India.
The most substantial traction for the Khalistan movement comes from Canada, where they recently held an independence referendum in Brampton. Yet, despite concerns and evidence of militancy, Pakistani funding, and anti-India attacks, the Canadian government appears no closer to answering India’s call for action.
The recent referendum in Brampton, held by the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) group, saw the participation of 100,000 Sikhs from across Canada. The group is also planning another referendum on 6 November.
India banned the SFJ and designated the group’s leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2020.
The Indian government therefore unsurprisingly rejected the referendum as a “farcical exercise.” Furthermore, in what has been interpreted as a retort to Ottawa’s silence on the issue, New Delhi even issued a tit-for-tat travel advisory warning Indians of hate crimes in Canada.
Thread Big day for Khalistan Movement canadian sikhs came out in huge numbers at Brampton more than 100 K to vote in referendum 2022 i have witnessed history in making from young to 90 years old everyone demanding Khalistan pic.twitter.com/GtbNAloSaY
— Azhar Javaid (@azharjavaiduk) September 19, 2022
Moreover, this is not the first time India has raised concerns about Sikh separatists in Canada.
In preparation for Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau’s visit to India in 2019, the Indian government provided the Canadian government with the names of nine individuals in Canada who are suspected of orchestrating activities that could fuel the Khalistan separatist movement in India. Canada, however, ignored India’s request to take action against them
Indian PM Narendra Modi subsequently publicly snubbed Trudeau during his visit in an act of silent protest against Canada’s weak stance on the Khalistan movement. Though Trudeau later met with Modi during the course of his trip, he was welcomed at the airport by a lower-level government official, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Gajendra S. Shekhawat, compared to other world leaders who are usually greeted by high-ranking officials from the Ministry of External Affairs or Modi himself.
Modi was also “uncharacteristically unenthusiastic” about Trudeau’s visit, maintaining silence about the trip until his scheduled meeting with the Canadian PM. Furthermore, Modi did not accompany Trudeau during his visit to his home-state, Gujarat, as he did with the leaders of the United States, Israel, Japan, and even China.
I hope PM @JustinTrudeau and his family had a very enjoyable stay so far. I particularly look forward to meeting his children Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien. Here is a picture from my 2015 Canada visit, when I'd met PM Trudeau and Ella-Grace. pic.twitter.com/Ox0M8EL46x
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 22, 2018
Yet, due to domestic considerations and the demographic makeup of the country, Canada remains unlikely to change its position to take a strong stand against the Khalistani movement despite the cold shoulder treatment from India.
Over the years, parties from across Canada’s political spectrum have recognised the importance of the Sikh community. With over 500,000 Sikhs comprising 1.4% of the population, the community is the country’s largest religious minority.
More concerningly, extremist elements of the community that support the Khalistani movement wield significant political influence. For instance, both left and right-wing politicians frequently consult with radical groups—like the SFJ and the World Sikh Organisation—to gauge the perspective of the larger Sikh community.
Moreover, after being appointed as the New Democratic Party’s leader and the country’s first Sikh head of a political party, Jagmeet Singh extended support to the right to “debate and argue” for sovereignty in several countries, including India.
We strongly condemn defacing of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto with anti-India graffiti. Have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators. @MEAIndia @IndiainToronto @PIB_India @DDNewslive @CanadainIndia @cgivancouver
— India in Canada (@HCI_Ottawa) September 15, 2022
India’s concerns are not rooted in the Trudeau government’s engagement with the Sikh community, such as the condemnation of the 1984 anti-Sikh Riots. It recognises that such measures are necessary to maintain harmony in Canada’s diverse and multicultural fabric. However, it is less willing to play ball when Canada repeatedly and seemingly willfully turns a blind eye to dangerous Khalistani elements within its own borders and even its own government.
For instance, Trudeau appointed Harjit Sajjan as his defence minister in his previous cabinet despite allegations of him being a “Khalistani sympathiser.” In addition, Trudeau himself participated in a Khalsa Day event in Toronto in 2017 during which attendees flew Khalistan flags and raised portraits of Khalistani militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Similarly, in 2018, the Canadian government changed the text of the “Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada” after succumbing to political pressures from “well-funded fringe activists” from the Sikh community. The original text recognised “Sikh (Khalistani) extremist ideologies and movements” as one of the leading “extremist threats” in Canada. However, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale edited the document to say “extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India.” Punjab’s erstwhile chief minister, Amarinder Singh, called the change in wording a “knee-jerk decision that was clearly aimed at protecting [the government’s] political interest.”
Demonstrating that these haven’t been one-off decisions, Jaspal Atwal, a convicted member of the International Sikh Youth Federation, a banned group in both Canada and India, attended an event in Mumbai at Ottawa’s invitation during Trudeau’s 2019 trip to India. Atwal was also invited to attend another event in New Delhi before public backlash forced the Trudeau government to revoke his invitation.
Trudeau also brought along Manvir Singh Saini as part of his media delegation for the India trip, despite his participation in a protest against PM Modi’s 2015 visit to Canada, wherein he held up signs reading “India Out of Khalistan.”
Against this backdrop, India’s high commissioner to Ottawa from 2015 to 2016, Vishnu Prakash, has argued that radical Khaslistani groups are “more emboldened with the Trudeau regime.”
My statement in Canadian parliament on the recent hate crime incidents on Hindu temples in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/QgbNxe9FEG
— Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) September 20, 2022
The lack of care and attention given to such potentially inflammatory decisions raises questions about Trudeau’s commitment to maintaining friendly ties with India.
In fact, away from the Khalistan movement, Trudeau has also previously extended his support to the farmers’ protests in India, despite knowing that New Delhi would warn him not to interfere in its internal affairs.
Recent attacks on Hindu temples provided ample opportunity for a more robust response by the Canadian government. However, the radio silence has shown that India’s concerns are severely misaligned with those of Canada, which has not only prioritised its Sikh community but also appeased the radical elements within this community at the expense of India. It has therefore become clear that India cannot rely on Canada, which refuses to go beyond making vague declarations supporting religious diversity and opposing intolerance, as an able and willing partner in the goal of defeating a seemingly resurgent Khalistan independence movement.