During the recent past, unfortunate controversies had been generated regarding certain killings or attempted killings in Canada and the US respectively. It was alleged that these were the handiwork of Indian security agencies, and there was a consequent diplomatic uproar because of this, causing strain in bilateral ties with both countries. This matter had been brewing for quite some time, when Justin Trudeau first raised it, after he returned to Canada upon conclusion of the G-20 summit in Delhi. His return had also been a subject matter of controversy and speculation, as he was stranded in Delhi for nearly three days due to a snag in his aircraft.

Apparently, due to coldness in relations between the two countries, this issue ended up in controversy, and diplomatic uneasiness. India’s relations with Canada had been under strain even before the G-20 summit, mainly because of the Canadian government’s turning a blind eye to separatist elements, terrorists, and gangsters from India, especially from Punjab. This might be purely because of internal political compulsions of Trudeau and his party, but it had adversely impacted the relations between the two countries. Sikhs have been migrating to Canada since long, mainly for better earning opportunities there.

Advertisement

During the Khalistan movement in the 1980s, particularly after Operation Bluestar, a large number of Khalistani leaders/militants, migrated/fled to Canada and were spearheading the cause of militancy in Punjab from there. Since the militancy days in Punjab, the Government of India as well as the security agencies have been collecting intelligence and have been lodging protests with the Canadian government regarding its turning a blind eye to the anti-India demonstrations and hate speeches from a section of the Sikh community there, owing to their allegiance to the Khalistani militancy cause. However, during that period, despite this thorn in bilateral relations, engagements did not deteriorate to the level they have today. We will have to look for the reasons as well as introspect as to where we lacked, and then recalibrate our strategy accordingly, because under no circumstances should we compromise our national security concerns. Sovereignty and integrity of our nation must be maintained at any cost. Over a period of time, some of the leading gangsters of Punjab, who started feeling heat from the security agencies, fled to Canada and USA. Their gang members kept operating in India and are in touch with their bosses abroad and receiving instructions. Protection or ransom money is being paid by their targets, and hawala channels are being used. Gang rivalries are also taken care of by foot soldiers on behalf of their bosses sitting in........

© The Statesman