In Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s definition of diplomacy, terrorists win and allies loose, commented a leading Canadian expert on South Asian security matters in the backdrop of new low in Indo-Canadian ties.
“…instead of tactfully getting the Indians to play ball like the Americans did after they also accused India of carrying out similar crimes in the U.S., Trudeau chose to irk New Delhi, going public last year about India’s alleged involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Worse, he did so without sharing any “hard evidentiary proof” with India, according to his testimony at the public inquiry into foreign interference last week,” wrote Joe Adam George, a national security analyst on South Asia affairs, in an article titled ‘In Trudeau’s school of diplomacy, terrorists win and allies lose’ for Canadian daily The National Post.
“It’s no secret that Canada-India ties were fragile even before the crisis unravelled last year. However, Ottawa’s refusal to recognize the priorities of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda and meaningfully address New Delhi’s grievances on the Khalistan issue, particularly the 1985 Air India bombing tragedy, is exacerbating the situation,” wrote George.
Praising the Indian PM’s national security policy, George wrote, “By leveraging his strongman image, Modi asserted his government’s zero-tolerance policy on national security issues such as terrorism and separatism, which have ravaged parts of India since it gained independence from the British in 1947. Unlike Canada, India is not blessed with friendly neighbours and allies. Instead, it shares borders with an expansionist China and a troublesome Pakistan, both of whom it has fought against in multiple wars.”
“The Modi government demonstrated this approach in 2019 when it abrogated Article 370, a piece of legislation that granted a special autonomous status to the terror-riddled state of Jammu and Kashmir. The momentous decision led to a drastic decline in terror activities while boosting significant economic growth in the state.”
“The issue of Khalistani separatism has historically been dealt with in a serious and non-partisan manner by every Indian government. Moreover, the Khalistan cause — a radical separatist movement that seeks a sovereign Sikh state carved out of India — is a dead letter among Sikhs in India. New Delhi has often alleged that Khalistani extremists in Canada, with covert support from Pakistan, are seeking to sow division to undermine Indian interests, an allegation that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has confirmed is true. By siding with Khalistani extremists, Ottawa is conflating separatist militancy with legitimate religion and risking the lives of innocent Sikhs who have no interest in the militant movement,” George claimed.
He pointed out, “Trudeau’s decision to appease Khalistani extremists is not rooted in ignorance but wilful blindness and partisan gain, considering New Delhi has repeatedly warned Ottawa for decades about the fringe movement’s illicit activities in Canada, including its involvement in the 1985 Air India bombing, Canada’s deadliest terror attack. From watering down a Public Safety Canada report that listed “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” as among the top five homegrown terrorism threats to sponsoring a petition that promoted a long-running conspiracy theory that the Indian government was behind the Air India bombing, the Trudeau government has repeatedly infuriated New Delhi with its partisan antics while also undermining Canadian national security in the process.”
“India has struggled to gain traction in the West on the Khalistan issue because the movement rarely poses a direct threat here, unlike Islamist extremism. This is also why countries like India, Israel and others in the Global South accuse the West of duplicitous behaviour. The West is often complicit in ignoring or playing down the security concerns of its allies while it expects accountability from rogue states like Pakistan and Syria for harbouring extremist groups,” George alleged.
“Trudeau made a terrible miscalculation by picking a fight with India. By doing so, he has inadvertently put the spotlight back on his government’s permissiveness toward foreign interference and transnational crime that are hurting both Canada and its allies. The tepid public response from the U.S. and the U.K. also proves the recklessness of such a move. Ottawa’s wilful blindness to India’s red lines on separatism and terrorism has established that it is prioritizing diaspora politics at the expense of a natural ally. India is no longer a nominal player in geopolitics. It will let its relationship with Canada disintegrate if it must,” the expert noted.
“…instead of tactfully getting the Indians to play ball like the Americans did after they also accused India of carrying out similar crimes in the U.S., Trudeau chose to irk New Delhi, going public last year about India’s alleged involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Worse, he did so without sharing any “hard evidentiary proof” with India, according to his testimony at the public inquiry into foreign interference last week,” wrote Joe Adam George, a national security analyst on South Asia affairs, in an article titled ‘In Trudeau’s school of diplomacy, terrorists win and allies lose’ for Canadian daily The National Post.
“It’s no secret that Canada-India ties were fragile even before the crisis unravelled last year. However, Ottawa’s refusal to recognize the priorities of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda and meaningfully address New Delhi’s grievances on the Khalistan issue, particularly the 1985 Air India bombing tragedy, is exacerbating the situation,” wrote George.
Praising the Indian PM’s national security policy, George wrote, “By leveraging his strongman image, Modi asserted his government’s zero-tolerance policy on national security issues such as terrorism and separatism, which have ravaged parts of India since it gained independence from the British in 1947. Unlike Canada, India is not blessed with friendly neighbours and allies. Instead, it shares borders with an expansionist China and a troublesome Pakistan, both of whom it has fought against in multiple wars.”
“The Modi government demonstrated this approach in 2019 when it abrogated Article 370, a piece of legislation that granted a special autonomous status to the terror-riddled state of Jammu and Kashmir. The momentous decision led to a drastic decline in terror activities while boosting significant economic growth in the state.”
“The issue of Khalistani separatism has historically been dealt with in a serious and non-partisan manner by every Indian government. Moreover, the Khalistan cause — a radical separatist movement that seeks a sovereign Sikh state carved out of India — is a dead letter among Sikhs in India. New Delhi has often alleged that Khalistani extremists in Canada, with covert support from Pakistan, are seeking to sow division to undermine Indian interests, an allegation that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has confirmed is true. By siding with Khalistani extremists, Ottawa is conflating separatist militancy with legitimate religion and risking the lives of innocent Sikhs who have no interest in the militant movement,” George claimed.
He pointed out, “Trudeau’s decision to appease Khalistani extremists is not rooted in ignorance but wilful blindness and partisan gain, considering New Delhi has repeatedly warned Ottawa for decades about the fringe movement’s illicit activities in Canada, including its involvement in the 1985 Air India bombing, Canada’s deadliest terror attack. From watering down a Public Safety Canada report that listed “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” as among the top five homegrown terrorism threats to sponsoring a petition that promoted a long-running conspiracy theory that the Indian government was behind the Air India bombing, the Trudeau government has repeatedly infuriated New Delhi with its partisan antics while also undermining Canadian national security in the process.”
“India has struggled to gain traction in the West on the Khalistan issue because the movement rarely poses a direct threat here, unlike Islamist extremism. This is also why countries like India, Israel and others in the Global South accuse the West of duplicitous behaviour. The West is often complicit in ignoring or playing down the security concerns of its allies while it expects accountability from rogue states like Pakistan and Syria for harbouring extremist groups,” George alleged.
“Trudeau made a terrible miscalculation by picking a fight with India. By doing so, he has inadvertently put the spotlight back on his government’s permissiveness toward foreign interference and transnational crime that are hurting both Canada and its allies. The tepid public response from the U.S. and the U.K. also proves the recklessness of such a move. Ottawa’s wilful blindness to India’s red lines on separatism and terrorism has established that it is prioritizing diaspora politics at the expense of a natural ally. India is no longer a nominal player in geopolitics. It will let its relationship with Canada disintegrate if it must,” the expert noted.
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