Tensions between India and Canada have heightened following Canadian PrimeMinister Justin Trudeau’s statement on Monday, where he made mention of”credible allegations” connecting Indian government agents to the Juneassassination of a Sikh separatist leader advocating for an independentSikh homeland known as “Khalistan.”
What is the Khalistan Movement?
The Khalistan Movement seeks to establish an autonomous Sikh stateseparated from India. Its origins trace back to the negotiations precedingthe partition of the Punjab region between India and Pakistan during theirindependence in 1947. Sikhism, founded in Punjab in the late 15th century,counts approximately 25 million followers worldwide.
While Sikhs constitute a majority in Punjab’s population, they represent aminority within India, making up just two percent of its 1.4 billionpopulation. Sikh separatists advocate for the creation of “Khalistan,”meaning “the land of the pure,” out of Punjab. The demand for Khalistan hassurfaced multiple times, most notably during a significant insurgency inthe 1970s and 1980s, which disrupted life in Indian Punjab for over adecade.
How Did India Respond?
The Indian government considers the Khalistan movement a security threat.The most violent incident in the conflict between the government and Sikhseparatists occurred in 1984. Then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered themilitary into the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine, to removeseparatist leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters. Thisaction incited outrage among Sikhs worldwide.
A few months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in herNew Delhi home. The Indian army conducted operations in 1986 and 1988 toeliminate Sikh militants from Punjab. Sikh militants were also heldresponsible for the 1985 bombing of an Air India Boeing 747 flying fromCanada to India, resulting in the deaths of all 329 people on board.
The insurgency claimed tens of thousands of lives, and Punjab still bearsthe scars of that violence. Although the Khalistan movement has lostsignificant support in India, it retains some backing within sections ofthe Sikh diaspora in Canada, which hosts the largest Sikh populationoutside Punjab, as well as in Britain, Australia, and the United States.
Read Top Stories
Why Is India Concerned Now?
In April of this year, India arrested Amritpal Singh, a self-proclaimedpreacher and Sikh separatist, for allegedly reviving calls for Khalistan,raising concerns about renewed violence in Punjab. India also criticizedCanada for permitting a float in a parade that depicted the assassinationof Indira Gandhi, which was seen as glorifying Sikh separatist violence.
India has expressed displeasure over frequent demonstrations and vandalismpurportedly carried out by Sikh separatists and their supporters at Indiandiplomatic missions in Canada, Britain, the United States, and Australia,and has requested improved security measures from local governments.
How Does It Impact Indian-Canadian Relations?
Indian diplomats in Canada have repeatedly voiced concerns about Ottawa’sfailure to address “Sikh extremism” and the ongoing harassment of Indiandiplomats and officials by Khalistanis, straining foreign relations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed strong reservations regardingSikh protests in Canada during a meeting with Trudeau on the sidelines of aG20 summit in New Delhi earlier this month. Consequently, Canada has pauseddiscussions on a proposed trade treaty with India, and Canadian TradeMinister Mary Ng has postponed a scheduled trade mission to India.
