Justin Trudeau may toe Jagmeet Singh's line, target Hindus in Canada for political survival
PTC News Desk: In a tense diplomatic standoff between India and Canada, six Indian diplomats, led by High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, are set to return to India amid growing concerns over harassment by pro-Khalistani elements backed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. These diplomats will leave Canada by Saturday, with discreet flight arrangements to ensure their safe return. This withdrawal will reduce India’s diplomatic presence in Canada to just nine officials, while Canada will still maintain 15 diplomats in India.
Previously, India had 12 resident diplomats in Ottawa, and Canada had 62 in New Delhi, but relations between the two countries have been strained since Justin Trudeau’s government began aligning with pro-Khalistani New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh. Trudeau is now facing increasing political pressure and is expected to adopt a more aggressive stance, potentially targeting Canadian Hindus by portraying them as opponents of both Sikhs and Muslims to secure his political base.
Trudeau has sought support from the Five Eyes Alliance, briefing them on the ongoing diplomatic rift with India, following the assassination of pro-Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. Nijjar’s death, which occurred on June 18, has been a flashpoint, with Trudeau accusing India of involvement, despite the lack of concrete evidence presented by Canadian authorities.
Despite Trudeau’s accusations, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has yet to file formal charges in the Nijjar case, leading many to question the credibility of the Canadian Prime Minister’s claims. A senior diplomat remarked, "If this case was as clear-cut as Trudeau claims, why hasn’t the RCMP filed a charge sheet? Why hasn't the Canadian government shared any evidence linking India to Nijjar’s murder?"
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Trudeau’s government is also working through the Foreign Interference Commission, along with the RCMP, to allegedly implicate India in the case. This inquiry, however, has been criticiSed for being biased, with no opposing organizations allowed to participate in public hearings. The Commission is expected to hear Trudeau's testimony on October 16, just a day after Canada’s Safety Minister appears before it. Critics within India have called the inquiry a "sham" and a ploy to defame the Indian government.
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Further escalating tensions, a bounty of half a million Canadian dollars has been placed on High Commissioner Sanjay Verma’s head by pro-Khalistani groups, with effigies of Verma being burned in Vancouver. These alarming developments indicate that the conflict is far from over, as pro-Khalistan groups continue to fuel anti-India sentiments.
Indian intelligence has also gathered evidence suggesting that officials from Canada’s High Commission in Delhi and its Chandigarh consulate have been surreptitiously engaging with the ruling parties in Delhi and Punjab. It is believed that Canada played a role in radicalizing the Sikh community during the farmers' protests and in promoting a human rights narrative against the Modi government.
As diplomatic relations continue to deteriorate, Trudeau's alignment with radical elements poses significant challenges for India-Canada ties, with both countries grappling with the fallout from this escalating conflict.
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- With inputs from agencies
