NEW DELHI – Khalistan, the issue that kept India-Canada ties on ice throughthree decades from 1980, has reappeared as an issue more recently, takingaway much of the warmth that was expected during Canadian Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau’s ongoing visit to India.
Former diplomats say the seeds for the current tensions have been sowedsince Mr. Trudeau came to power in 2015, receiving widespread support fromsome of the most extreme Khalistani political groups, and has repeatedlyfailed to take into account the sensitivities in India over the past whereSikh terror groups received support from elements in Canada.*‘Khalsa day’ reversed it all*
One major breaking point came last April when Mr.Trudeau attended a “Khalsaday” parade organised by one of the more radical Gurudwaras in Toronto. Atthe time, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made it clear India’sprotest had been taken up with the Canadian government.
Among other issues was the felicitation at the parade of a politicianresponsible for a resolution in the Ontario assembly that accused India of“genocide” during the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots, a vote that India had alsoprotested strongly. In addition, floats at the parade depicted Sikhmilitant leaders Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Amreek Singh and formerGeneral Shahbeg Singh who were killed in the siege of the Golden Temple andOperation Bluestar in June 1984, as heroes. During his tenure formerCanadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had not attended the rally, easingthe path for visits by PM Manmohan Singh in 2012 and PM Modi to Canada in2015.
“The visit to the Khalsa Day parade was a no-no for Canadian PMs for atleast a decade, and we may be back to the drawing board on this issue”former Ambassador to Canada Vishnu Prakash told *The Hindu*, adding thatMr. Trudeau “has been left in no doubt on India’s concerns on the issue,and they have been taken up at the highest levels.”*Sikh extremist groups’ shadow*
Issues over the growth of Sikh extremist groups, especially those seeking a“referendum 2020” for the worldwide Sikh diaspora to vote on an“Independent Khalistan” have been raised several times in the past fewyears, officials told *The Hindu*, including when former Defence MinisterArun Jaitley met with Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan, andPrime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to have spoken to Mr. Trudeau onthe issue when the leaders met at the G-20 summit in Hamburg in July 2017,and in Manila on the sidelines of the East Asia summit.
“No one is asking the Trudeau government not to engage with the Sikhcommunity that form their constituency, but why is it necessary to panderto extremist Khalistani elements is the question,” Mr. Prakash added.*Where Trudeau stays mum*
To add to the tensions, last month, 16 Canadian Gurudwaras announced a“ban” on the entry of Indian elected officials, consular officials,Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Shiv Sena members, without any actionfrom the Trudeau government.
Gurudwaras in the United States and the United Kingdom also followed suit.When asked, Canadian government officials cite “freedom of expression”issues to explain their stand.
Another sore point on the current visitwas Mr. Trudeau’s insistence ontaking along with him the Ministers in his cabinet accused of sympathisingwith the Khalistan movement, like Mr. Sajjan and Navdeep Singh Bains, toAmritsar. Last year, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had refused to meetthese Ministers calling them “Khalistanis”, and Mr. Trudeau’s decision totake them with him to Punjab appeared to have complicated plans to meet theChief Minister, before the issue was resolved.