Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian government is no longer taking the threat posed by Khalistani terror outfits like Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Zindabad Force and Khalistan Tiger Force lying down. Under its “ghar mei ghuske maarenge” strategy, India has now deployed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Canada. A high-level team of the NIA visited Canada this month for coordinating ongoing terror investigations. During its four-day visit, the team, led by an Inspector General-rank officer, will be discussing with the Canadian authorities the findings of its probe against Khalistani groups.
The three-member NIA team is pushing for the execution of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty for faster sharing of information related to anti-India activities. According to a report by Tribune, besides Canada, the probe agency is learnt to be equipped with details of funding routes from the UK, the US, Australia, France and Germany. The Hindustan Times, meanwhile, reported that India’s NIA team has formally asked Canada to declare the organisation ‘Sikhs for Justice’ a terrorist entity.
NIA Team in Canada on Ottawa’s Invitation?
Canada seems to be looking to fix its ties with India – which have suffered a setback due to liberal mascot Justin Trudeau and his allies’ support for Khalistani organisations. According to a press release by India’s High Commission in Ottawa, the NIA team was in Ottawa on Thursday and Friday at the invitation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP and it also “held additional meetings with the International Crime and Counter-terrorism Bureau of Global Affairs Canada and with senior officials from the International Affairs Division of Public Safety Canada, to deepen and expand India-Canada collaboration on counter-terrorism and interdiction of global terrorist financing.”
🇮🇳 and 🇨🇦 collaborate on investigating terrorism. A high-level team from National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India visited Canada on 4-5 November 2021 at the invitation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police @rcmpgrcpolice @NIA_India @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/PD5TrIGjpn
— India in Canada (@HCI_Ottawa) November 5, 2021
The release added that the visit by the NIA team was “for better coordinating investigation against entities and individuals suspected of terrorism and to discuss other criminal matters”. According to a senior Indian official quoted by the Hindustan Times, the Canadian law enforcement was “very responsive” to India’s concerns during the “comprehensive” discussions and a “few other entities” also figured in the talks.
NIA’s Case Against Organisations Like SFJ
It was in December last year that the NIA had filed an FIR against SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, KTF’s Paramjit Singh Pamma and Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who were all designated as “terrorists” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In its FIR, the NIA stated, “The SFJ and other Khalistani terrorist organisations, including but not limited to BKI, KTF and KZF, along with their frontal outfits are conspiring to create an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness and cause disaffection among people to incite them against the government of India.”
SFJ’s Misadventures Against India
The SFJ is headed by Avtar Singh Pannun and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. SFJ has the backing of Pakistan’s notorious ISI. The terror group had also written a letter against India to Chinese President Xi Jinping in the wake of the Galwan Valley showdown, where it condemned the ‘Modi government’s violent aggression against China’ causing death to several soldiers of China at Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The terror outfit didn’t stop here and thanked the people of China for their encouraging and supporting response to SFJ’s call to hold a non-governmental referendum 2020 for the secession of Punjab from India. It must be remembered that SFJ is leading the crusade of a so-called “Referendum 2020”. Earlier this year when the farmers protesting the central farm laws organised a march to Delhi on Republic Day, the SFJ is learnt to have announced a Rs 1.85 crore reward for anyone hoisting a Khalistani flag atop the India Gate.
Now, India is taking the fight right to SFJ’s backyard – that is in Canada. It seems Canada too has had enough of Khalistani extremism and is willing to cooperate with India to take down such an organisation that aims at stoking chaos in India.