Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday took aim at the Canadian government for its support of the Khalistani movement. Punjab CM cited the findings of the John Major Commission into the 1985 Kanishka bombing and warned that Ottawa’s against anti-India activities on its sovereign territory might spiral down to adverse security situation in Canada.
The commission report points out that “despite the principal conspirators being put under surveillance before the bombing, their conversations recorded, their acquisition and testing of explosives witnessed by state agents, and ample and repeated warnings that they intended to bomb a specific flight, Canadian agencies failed to act at each stage, and at a scale that cannot be explained away as mere errors, but that appear to have the taint of intentional negligence, if not collusion”.
“The report points out that these activities pose a threat not just to the target country India, but also to the security of Canada,” said CM Amarinder Singh.
Chief Minister also said that by allowing the conspirators of the “mass murder”, the Canadian government had exposed its true intent. “It is more than apparent that Canada has been extending its support to Khalistanis despite New Delhi’s protestations,” said CM Singh.
CM Singh also mentioned that he had himself given a list of wanted terrorists to the Canadian Prime Minister during his visit to India last year. However, no action was taken against the terrorist by the Canadian government. The lack of response from their government so far has exposed their intent, said Punjab CM.
Over the past few years, Canada has become a breeding ground for Khalistani extremists owing to their tacit support of the Trudeau administration. Several Khalistani sympathizers have also found a place in the current administration of the Canadian Prime Minister. Several conclusive reports of Pakistan’s involvement in giving winds to the Khalistani extremism have also surfaced. In 2008 a report by the IB claimed that the Ludhiana blasts of October 2007 indicate that the ISI is desperately trying to revive Sikh militancy which had died a natural death in the late 1980s.
According to the Punjab Police, currently, there are around 290 listed terrorist groups on its wanted list, out of which about 125, including heads of all major terrorist outfits, are operating from foreign countries, especially the UK, the US, Canada and Germany. CM Amarinder Singh has also urged Prime Minister Modi to take note of all the developments and take strong actions against Khalistani extremism. He has urged PM Modi to mount global pressure on Canada to stop the usage of its sovereign territory for anti-India activities. “Even seek UN sanctions, if needed, to end the growing threat once and for all,” he added.
CM Amarinder Singh has been one of the most vocal Congress leaders in countering the Khalistani movement both in the state and abroad. His policies have ensured that the Khalistani separatist movement does not rear its head in the state and these comments only reiterate his firm stand.
