© Reuters. FILE IMAGE: An indication outside the Expert Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple is seen after the killing on its premises in June 2023 of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Picture
By Steve Scherer
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Sikhs are grateful to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for providing voice to their worries and withstanding India at the threat of extreme reaction from New Delhi, which he stated might be connected to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader.
The Indian federal government thought about Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian person who was shot to death in June in British Columbia (BC), a terrorist since of his advocacy for Khalistan, an independent Sikh state.
India powerfully rejected its participation in Nijjar’s murder, which happened in the car park of a Sikh temple in Surrey, BC. However Canadian Sikhs are doubtful, and the minority who are active supporters of Khalistan hesitate.
” There’s a great deal of worry,” stated Sentokh Singh, who was amongst the little group who opposed in front of the Indian High Commission (embassy) in Ottawa today. “That’s why we are here today.”
Both nations expelled diplomats in a tit-for-tat retaliation after Trudeau’s bombshell statement recently, however India has actually gone even more, releasing a travel caution and stopping visa issuance to Canadians.
Trudeau’s relocation dangers thwarting a tactical financial and political shift numerous Western nations are making towards India to counter China. It likewise sidetracked attention from his push to resolve cost-of-living issues, which have actually taxed his appeal in viewpoint surveys.
Canada is house to about 770,000 Sikhs, the greatest population outside the northern Indian state of Punjab, and the Indian federal government has for years revealed its annoyance with some neighborhood members’ outspoken assistance for Khalistan.
Sikhs punch above their weight in Canadian politics. They have 15 members in your house of Commons, more than 4% of the seats, primarily from essential battlefields in nationwide elections, while making up just about 2% of the Canadian population.
In addition, one member is Jagmeet Singh, leader of the opposition New Democrats, a left-leaning celebration that is supporting the Trudeau’s minority federal government.
” In political terms, this is no-brainer: You got to go out ahead of the story and you got to reveal outrage,” stated Fen Hampson, teacher of global affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.
Trudeau’s “dubious claims” look for to move focus far from “Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have actually been offered shelter in Canada,” India’s foreign ministry stated.
Canada states Sikhs have a right to serene demonstration and there has actually been no proof of violence, terrorist activity or misdeed.
‘ RELIEF’
A buddy of Nijjar’s, Gurmeet Singh Toor, is an active member of the exact same temple and a Khalistan fan. He was informed in August by the federal cops that his life may be “in danger”, according to a file he was offered by cops that offered no information about the prospective danger.
The RCMP would not support the file, stating it might increase the threat to the person who got it.
A revolt looking for a Sikh homeland of Khalistan eliminated 10s of thousands in the 1980s and 1990s and was squashed by India. It has nearly no assistance in Punjab today.
Nevertheless, on Friday numerous Sikh activists staged a presentation outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in Punjab, requiring penalty for the Nijjar’s killers.
Mukhbir Singh, a member of the Ottawa Sikh Society, stated he backs the concept of Khalistan, however that Canadian Sikhs’ views on the problem are not monolithic. He stated Trudeau is sticking up for Canadian democratic worths.
” Prime Minister Trudeau has actually taken a position” to make “vital” the security of its residents, he stated, although the Canadian federal government does not support Khalistan. “In Canada, we deserve to reveal our viewpoints even if they do not line up with the viewpoints of the federal government.”
Trudeau, the longest serving progressive leader in the G7 group of rich countries, is tracking terribly in viewpoint surveys. As he presents a series of steps to resolve cost-of-living issues and attempt to claw back assistance, the stress with India have actually disrupted efforts to interact those brand-new policies, senior authorities in Ottawa stated.
Suk Dhaliwal, a Sikh Liberal member of parliament for Surrey, informed Reuters he is not a Khalistan separatist, however a Canadian, and Canadians have a right to object quietly. He stated his constituents have actually thought considering that June the participation of the Indian federal government in the murder.
” The neighborhood feels a bit relieved now that a minimum of there is somebody who has actually revealed management to bring this message forward,” Dhaliwal stated.
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