On 21st September, Indian-origin MP from Canada, Chandra Arya, voiced his concerns by saying that Hindu Canadians are ‘soft targets’ in the country. Arya urged the Hindu community in Canada to remain calm and vigilant. He further urged the community members to report the incidents of Hinduphobia.
Arya’s statement came after Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of ‘Sikhs For Justice’ threatened Hindus living in Canada and asked them to leave the country. Since Pannu’s threats, the Hindu community in Canada is feeling unsafe.
Few days back Khalistan movement leader in Canada and the president of Sikhs for Justice which organizes the so-called referendum Gurpatwant Singh Pannun attacked Hindu-Canadians asking us to leave Canada and go back to India.
— Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) September 20, 2023
I have heard from many Hindu-Canadians who are… pic.twitter.com/z3vkAcsUDs
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), MP Chandra Arya said, “A few days back, Pannu launched an attack on Hindu-Canadians and asked them to leave the country. I have heard from many Hindu Canadians who are fearful after this targeted attack.” Arya asked the Hindu-Canadian community to stay calm but vigilant. He said, “Please report any incident of Hinduphobia to your local law enforcement agencies. The Khalistan movement leader is trying to provoke the Hindu-Canadians to react and divide the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada.”
Furthermore, he added that most Sikhs in Canada do not support the Khalistan movement. He said, “Most Sikh Canadians may not publicly condemn the Khalistan movement for several reasons, but they are deeply connected to the Hindu-Canadian community. Canadian Hindus and Sikhs are connected through family relationships and shared social and cultural ties.” However, he mentioned that not condemning such threats could have been seen as approval by the community under threat.
The statement highlights concerns about a direct attack on Hindu-Canadians by the leader of the Canadian Khalistan movement, which is seen as an escalation following recent attacks on Hindu temples and the celebration of the assassination of former Hindu Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Arya, who is a member of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, claimed that Canada has “high moral values” and said he was unable to understand how glorification of terrorism was allowed in the name of freedom of speech. He said, “Canada has high moral values, and we fully uphold the rule of law. I can’t understand how glorifying terrorism or a hate crime targeting a religious group is allowed in the name of freedom of speech and expression.”
Arya added that Hindu-Canadians are vulnerable targets and emphasised the success of the Hindu-Canadian community while calling for vigilance and unity among Hindu-Canadians to preserve their heritage and contributions to Canada.
Canada has a history of shielding the most wanted criminals
While Canadian MP has claimed Canada has “high moral values”, it has to be noted that the country has a history of shielding gangsters and designated terrorists. Not to forget, Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, had protected Kanishka bombing mastermind Talwinder Parmar. In 1982, India requested the extradition of Parmar. However, Canada refused it, and later, Parmar planned the Kanishka aircraft bombing, killing 329 people, out of which 268 were Canadians. India repeatedly asked for the extradition of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, but Canadian authorities denied it. Nijjar was killed in June this year, and surprisingly, Canada blamed India for the murder.
Furthermore, in April this year, India issued a list of wanted gangsters living in other countries, including the US and Canada. Out of 28, nine were reportedly given shelter by Canada. Of those nine, Sukhdool Singh alias Sukha Duneke was killed on 20th September.
