The Sikh population in Canada is substantial. Sikhs play a major role in Canadian politics but there is a growing problem in today’s Canadian Labour government headed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Mr. Trudeau has been accused of taking a soft stand on religious extremism. Time and time again, he has failed to demonstrate commitment towards bringing propagators of religious extremism to justice. Justin, who likes to call himself the new face of Canadian politics which is “characterized by tolerance and liberal virtues”, often hesitates to condemn terrorism.
In a truly bizarre decision Justin wanted to reintegrate 60 Canadian ISIS recruits back into Canadian society and the argument from his side was not only hilarious but also alarming. He stated –
His argument insinuated the notion that ISIS is an internationally recognised state, or at least recognised by the Canadian State and thus these recruits are to be treated as soldiers and not terrorists. Needless to say, such frivolous attitude towards national security made him a hated figure in Canadian politics. It seems the only understanding Justin ever got about the State is from reading liberal websites and thus, the innumerable flaws in the said notion did not occur to him.
Justin also seems to have a soft spot for people who want to divide India. His delegation had a known Khalistan sympathizer – Manvir Singh Saini, a reporter whose pictures while holding a placard asking Modi to get out of Khalistan went viral some time back. Now, if things were the same as it had been for decades in India, nothing would have happened, but PM Modi with his impeccable foreign policy acumen knew that a clear message had to be sent out to all the countries whose governments harbor and provide platforms for anti-India elements. Trudeau was received by a junior Minister and did not get a state welcome. After this, only the Chief Minister of Punjab met with him only to admonish him against Justin’s alleged love affair with Khalistan sympathizers.
The Canadian Prime Minister was not even greeted by two Chief Ministers of the states he visited in his eight day visit. Indian government kept their resolve, and in all of his official engagements, the Khalistan issue was raised by the Indian government at every opportunity. The entire world took notice of how India treats people who have no respect for Indian sovereignty. It became National as well as International news that Justin’s delegation had a Khalistani sympathizer.
The Canadian High Commissioner had sent out an invitation for dinner to Jaspal Atwal, who is one of the convicted in an attempt-to-murder case of an Indian Minister in 1986, which was later rescinded after much uproar in International and Indian media. All this did not help Trudeau to maintain his liberal image as a liberal poster boy. The Indian Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi played its cards right and belled the cat.
Now, in what can be termed as a direct result of the diplomatic snub imposed by Indian government on Trudeau during his last trip, ISI-backed hardliner Hardip Singh Nijjar has been rounded up and questioned by the Canadian authorities. Nijjar, who is accused of running terrorist camps on behest of the ISI in Canada, was one of the nine most wanted Khalistan terrorists in Punjab. The said list was handed over by the Punjab Chief Minister to Trudeau during his last trip. India has put out a look-out notice for him on January 23rd, 2015 and has pursued this case aggressively with the Canadian authorities. With one of the most notorious Khalistan supporters caught, Modi’s foreign policy doctrine has been proven effective once again.