When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau absurdly accuses India of executing Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, I am reminded of his father Pierre Trudeau and his dogmatism, vote-bank politics, and heinous stupidity. Justin is following in the footsteps of Pierre Trudeau. From 1968 to 1979, and again from 1980 to 1984, the senior Trudeau served as Prime Minister of Canada and at that time the Khalistan movement was at its peak. Talwinder Singh Parmar, alias Hardev Singh Parmar, the leader of the Babbar Khalsa, was involved in terrorist plots against India. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made every possible effort to seek extradition of Parmar and tried her best at explaining to Pierre Trudeau but Trudeau did not hand over Parmar to India.
The same Parmar plotted to bomb Air India plane, Kanishka, in 1985. Kanishka took off from Montreal Airport in Canada towards New Delhi via London, but the aircraft exploded at 32,000 feet and killed 329 people. It was the most heinous terrorist attack in history at the time. In 2001, a larger terrorist attack on America’s Twin Towers occurred, which became known as 9/11. If Pierre had turned over Parmar to India, 329 lives would not have met such an end. Not only that, but the Canadian government went to great lengths to ensure that every terrorist involved in the explosion escaped unpunished.
It was evident from the start that Inderjit Singh Reyat, Ripudaman Singh Malik, Ajaib Singh Bagri and Hardayal Singh Bagri, all linked with Babbar Khalsa, were engaged in destructive activities. The CBI in India quietly began gathering evidence of terrorism against all of these people so that it might be brought to a Canadian court, but that day never arrived. The investigative agencies of Canada played one of the oldest games in the book to thwart India.
There is a provision in legislation that states that recording someone’s conversation without consent of the court is invalid. Canadian investigation agencies took the court’s permission in some cases just for show but in most cases, they deliberately did not take permission. The terrorists benefitted from this loophole.
Take a peek at the present moment. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist, was slain in Canada on June 18 of this year. Trudeau is claiming that Indian security forces are to blame, despite lack of any credible evidence. Trudeau, if he had been mature, would have constituted a committee and waited for an investigation. He would have raised the issue at the diplomatic level if there was any evidence, but instead he made unfounded claims against India in the Canadian Parliament. He actually wants to be in the spotlight through his statements.
The protests that followed Nijjar’s murder, the placement of images of Indian diplomats at crossroads and a threat of an attack on them would not have been possible without the Trudeau government’s cooperation. Trudeau, in truth, is playing into the hands of Jagmeet Singh, a leader of the New Democratic Party, which was created with the goal of attaining Khalistan. Trudeau’s Liberal Party of Canada won the most seats in the 2021 Canadian Parliament elections but fell 10 seats short of a majority. With 25 MPs, Jagmeet Singh’s party helped Justin Trudeau get elected as Prime Minister. Trudeau understands that if he is to reclaim power, he will need Jagmeet’s help again.
In Canada, Sikhs are rising rapidly. They make up 2.1 per cent of the population and have a strong influence in politics, industry and the Canadian Army. I have had an opportunity to visit Canada several times and extensively examine and comprehend the culture there. I met MPs of Indian ancestry in Canada and went to see Sikh families as well. I have noticed that the Sikhs, who have settled there, like the Indian Sikhs, are peace-loving, law-abiding, and energetic people. Even though they live outside India, their heart is in India. This is a patriotic and courageous community. This community has made many sacrifices for India. There are only a few people wandering about with the Khalistan umbrella to highlight their politics. The ordinary members of the Sikh community in Canada have nothing to do with the uproar over Khalistan. Unfortunately, Trudeau believes that Sikh refers to Khalistan. Trudeau openly supports Khalistan under the guise of freedom of expression. In recent years, India has turned over to Canada a list of approximately 25 people who are conspiring against India and engaging in malicious operations to undermine India’s integrity. India provided Canada with substantial proof against these terrorists and demanded their extradition. But Canada paid little attention; rather, throughout Justin Trudeau’s term, Khalistani terrorists were treated as sons-in-law in Canada. Trudeau has revealed his desire by tacitly agreeing to a referendum in Canada against India. He is putting the country at a risk to achieve his limited political goals. He wishes to malign India to the point where its quest for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council is overshadowed. He is protesting in front of America, the United Kingdom and Australia about Nijjar’s death. This is despicable behaviour on his part. Despite the fact that no one is paying attention to him and the fact that he is granting citizenship to an increasing number of Indians, Trudeau’s duality stands exposed. The truth is that Trudeau is undermining India’s sovereignty by providing a safe haven to terrorists. He is oblivious to the fact that initiating a confrontation with India will be playing with fire. India and Canada have extensive trade links. India accounts for over 40 per cent of the foreign students studying there.
In this context, I am deeply concerned about Canada’s future. Has it also been following Pakistan’s example? Pakistan created and protected terrorist organisations against India. It has spread religious animosity throughout the land. What is the current situation? Terror has annihilated Pakistan. Why can’t Trudeau see that these Khalistani terrorists will eventually destroy Canada? In India, it is impossible to establish Khalistan.
How will you feel if, one day, the desire to establish Khalistan grows in Canada? Take care, Mr Trudeau! Don’t jeopardize Canada for your seat! Your Canada could well be transformed into Pakistan!
