REWIND

New Delhi, 28 September 2023

Canada, Sikhs, India and Pakistan

By Inder Jit

(Released on 13 October 1987) 

Vancouver: Canada has been a far cry from India for long. But it is not so anymore. Things have greatly changed for the better during the past three years, thanks mainly to the activities of extremist Canadian Sikhs of Indian origin, who first raised the flag of Khalistan in Canada as early as 1981--- more than three years before “Operation Blue Star”. Even today Khalistani flags fly alongside the Nishan Sahib at the old Weston Road Gurudwara at Toronto and at the impressive Gurudwara in Ross Street at Vancouver, popularly described as the “Headquarters of Khalistan”. Indo-Canadian relations touched their lowest point in the 1970s and the early 1980s, adversely affected by bitterness and misunderstanding over India’s peaceful nuclear implosion and by Ottawa’s failure in New Delhi’s eyes to deal firmly with its Sikh extremists. Canada is now alive and responsive to New Delhi’s feelings and demands, deeply roused by Indira Gandhi’s cold-blooded assassination the horrendous destruction of Air India’s Kanishka in June 1985 which sent 302 innocent persons to their watery grave. Indeed, relations between the two countries are today best described as being “close and, indeed, very friendly”. 

Nothing symbolises this more than the third visit of the Canadian Foreign Minister, Mr. Joe Clark, to India earlier this February in barely three years. The reason was summed up succinctly by Mr Clark during his visit to New Delhi when he said: “I have returned to New Delhi only 14 months after my last visit for three simple reasons: the growing importance of India in the world. The growing importance of India to Canada. And, the growing importance of Canada to India”. India’s economic relations have expanded enormously in the past few years. Our two-way trade reached $660 million in 1985 and several steps have been taken already to lay the base for greater growth. Canada has, for instance, opened a new trade office in Bombay. Nearly 50 Canadian firms exhibited their products in the Seventh Indian Engineering Trade Fair in New Delhi in February, where Canada enjoyed the status of a “Partner Country”. A Memorandum of Understanding on Industrial and Technological collaboration has been signed, a double taxation agreement ratified and the first annual Ministerial consultations held in February. The Canada-Indian Air Service Agreement has been renewed to enable expansion of the present direct air links by our two national carriers. 

However, the big question is will Ottawa be able to prevent Canadian Sikhs from actively funding and supporting terrorists and terrorism in India. Jathedar Talwinder Singh Parmar, who heads the Babbar Khalsa, and other militant Sikhs whom I meet in Toronto, Vancouver and elsewhere in Canada during a three-week visit to the country, left me in no doubt about their basic position. They stand for Khalistan and its creation as a separate independent country. “We have no choice after what has come to pass. There has been a breach of faith from the word go --- ever since India achieved independence. The assurance given by Gandhi, Nehru and Patel to our people have not been implemented. Now our Darbar Sahib has been attacked and our women and mothers assaulted... We have no place in India after the massacre of the Sikhs in New Delhi and elsewhere in India following Indira Gandhi’s assassination. No action has been taken against the culprits... Hundreds of our people are still in detention without trial at Jodhpur ... Yes, India is a powerful State. But we shall not let it rest in peace... We shall fight long as we have life in us...” Other militants echoed identical sentiments. Few saw anything wrong in seeking Pakistani help.“An enemy’s enemy is a friend”, asserted Jathedar Parmar. 

Pakistan is exploiting the situation to its full advantage. Sikh-Muslim Friendship Societies have been formed both in Canada and in the U.S. to promote Islamabad’s diabolical designs against India. A full-page advertisement carried by the “World Sikh News” offers its Sikh readers “Greetings from Sikh-Muslim Friendship Society on the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of the Khalsa”. The advertisement carries a photograph of Guru Govind Singh and below it two hands firmly clasped with the following legend atop: Hands Across Faiths. It also carried the names of the President (Syed Javed Shah), Vice President (Gurcharan Singh Dhillon), Secretary (Gurinder Singh Grewal) and Assistant Secretary (Sahid I. Mufti) ---and the addresses of the Head office and 14 Chapters. Importantly, the advertisement carries at the bottom and on its two sides a message which leaves no scope for any doubt in regard to Islamabad’s active involvement in the Friendship Society. The message, published in bold letters, reads: Support AWACS for Pakistan. This advertisement is, however, only a small part of the game Pakistan is playing even as it claims innocence in the face of conclusive evidence of its support to terrorist activity in India. 

Islamabad continues to encourage Canadian Sikhs to come to Pakistan and is using them as a conduit both for mobilising funds and arms and for promoting terrorist activity in India. At least seven Canadian Sikhs are known to be living in Pakistan for the past two years virtually as VIP guests, notwithstanding the show it has made of “arresting” and trying them for attacking Indian diplomats with swords on two occasions. The Vancouver Sun reported on September 27 last year that the Canadian President of the International Sikh Youth Federation, Mr Satinderpal Singh, “and his six companions of the Youth Federation travel freely in Pakistan, protected 24 hours of the day by Pakistani police, whom they order around like servants”. For the first six months, according to the Sun, “the seven resided in a comfortable Lahore Guest House”, a courtesy provided by the Pakistan Government. In July last, the seven Canadian Sikhs were still on bail pending trial. But they all jumped bail. Four among them are said to have crossed into India. Three Canadian Sikhs have been arrested so far and have provided important details of much that Pakistan is doing for training terrorists and sending them to India. 

Opinion is sharply divided on the precise strength of the hardcore Khalistanis among the Canadian Sikhs and their precise activities. Some place the number at “several thousands”--- 5 to 10 per cent of 1,50,000 Sikhs in Canada. Authoritative and well-informed sources in Ottawa and elsewhere, however, place the number of such persons at no more than 200 to 250. Estimates also vary in regard to the funds collected by them. Some observers believe that lakhs of dollars have been collected. But hardly any money has been sent to India. Most of it has allegedly been “swallowed up” by various leaders locally. Some of these large collections have even led to parting of ways. Jathedar Talwinder Singh Parmar has been publicly accused by Jathedar Tejinder Singh Kahlon, once his second in command, of having “deceived gullible Sikhs” to pocket 3 to 5 lakhs of Canadian dollars. But Jathedar Talwinder Singh stoutly denied the charge in his talk with me and denounced Jathedar Kahlon as having been hired to malign him. Yet the truth about the collections seems to lie somewhere in between. A majority ofthe Canadian Sikhs have been donating funds generously. According to one authoritative source, Canadian Sikh extremists are even stated to have financed the purchase of weapons worth $0.5 million from Europe for their men operating from Pakistan. 

All manner of stories have been sold to devout Sikhs, as discovered by a group of Canadian MPs who visited India earlier this April. Mr Benno Priessen, who led the delegation, told an Indo-Canadian gathering at the House of Commons on return that they would “no longer be misled by ill-informed opinion in Canada about conditions in Punjab”. Some Sikh groups in Canada had “expected us to come back from India and say conditions in Punjab were ripe for the creation of Khalistan”. But the complaints they had heard against New Delhi in Punjab were the same as those voiced in West Bengal, Maharashtra and the South. “Nobody mentioned the word Khalistan in Punjab”, he added. Not only that. Mr Friessen deplored what he called the prejudicial approach taken by radical elements in the Sikh community who would like to create an “independent” home for Indian Sikhs while living in Canada. He declared: “Before we left for India, Canadian Sikh groups had told us that we would not see a single Sikh in Amritsar in the age group of 20 and 30. But we saw quite a number of them all over the city and elsewhere, busily going about their business”. Importantly, MrPriessen stated that “no obstacles of any kind were placed inour travels all over the country...” 

What do the Canadians feel? Several bold and brave persons of Indian origin, notably Mr Ujjal Dosanjh, a Barrister in Vancouver and Mr Nirmal Dhindsa in Toronto strongly denounced the extremists and their activities which they felt were bringing a bad name to the community. Mr Dhindsa claimed that most of the militants were doing “roaring business”. Their strength, he said, was highly exaggerated as shown during the visit of Mr Harkishan Singh Surjeet, a member of the CPI (M) Politburo, in August last. The militants had denounced Mr Surjeet as the “greatest enemy of the Sikh Panth” and warned that he would not be permitted to address any meeting. Yet two rallies were held successfully --- one in Toronto and the other in Vancouver. An overwhelming majority of the Punjabis in Canada, he asserted, were not in favour of Khalistan. Mr Dosanjh openly attacked the militants some time ago as a bunch of “ruffians and goondas”, and added: “We have our own problems in Canada. Our battle and future is here.” The militants reacted sharply. He was hit on the head with an iron pipe one evening as he was about to get into his car. He fell unconscious and had to be given 80 stitches. Significantly, this has not deterred Mr Dosanjh from boldly continuing his opposition to the demand for Khalistan. 

Several leading Canadians, including public men, publisher editors and professors, that I met across the board in Montreal,Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston Ontario, Calgary and Vancouver were agreed on one point: “the militants among the Sikhs of Indian origin, are not being fair to the country of their adoption by bringing into it their own problems. Once in Canada, they must act and function as good Canadians. If they still feel strongly about any problem in India, let them go back. But they have no business to embarrass Canada and harm its relations with friendly countries”. They were also agreed with the firm assertion made by Mr Joe Clark during his visit to India in February last when he said: “My Government is absolutely determined that Canada shall not be used as a haven for terrorists”. He also stated: “The number of newcomers intent on using violence to achieve political aims in their country of origin is small indeed. Nonetheless we take their people very seriously, and the threat they represent has become oneof our major security priorities. The Extradition Treaty exemplifies joint Indo-Canadian determination to fight terrorism”. Importantly, Canada has conceded in the Treaty some of the points desired by India --- even as Britain continues to drag its feet in the matter. Happily, these points are said to have sent much-needed signals to the militants. 

Where do we go from here? I put this question not only to Jathedar Talwinder Singh Parmar, but many others, including Mr Daljit Singh Sandhu, President of the Ross Street Gurudwara, which can seat 5,000 people at one time and has thick wall-to-wall carpeting. All had more or less the same answer to give: “Ask Mr Rajiv Gandhi and his Government”. When pressed, Jathedar Parmar said: “I agree with your view that there can be no lasting solution to any problem at the point of a gun or kirpan. We should surely try to seek a peaceful solution. Let New Delhi talk not only to the high priests at Darbar Sahib but also to other Sikh leaders and people who have suffered ... In Sri Lanka, New Delhi has secured amnesty for all Tamil militants. Why not the same for those in Punjab ... Faith and trust has to be restored”. Most people expressed strong disappointment that the Punjab issue had not been resolved. “The longer it drags on”, they said, “the worse it is for us”. A solution has undoubtedly to be found in India. But the Canadian Sikhs, too, will have to be clear about what they stand for. They first raised the flag of Khalistan in Canada in 1981 and also established so-called Consulates of Khalistan in Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver the same year. All men of goodwill need to come together and assert themselves. Fortunately, they constitute an overwhelming majority of our people --- both in Canada and in India. --- INFA 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)