India has had enough. On 14th October, the Government of Canada, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, openly accused India of being involved in criminal activities on its soil. Canada has even dragged India’s Home Minister, Amit Shah, into the baseless narrative. The proof that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has claimed to have gathered is still unsubstantial to prove any direct or indirect involvement of Indian officials, including HM Shah and NSA Ajit Doval, in any criminal activity on Canadian soil. However, Canada has continued to attack and directly meddle in India’s affairs.
Canada has refused to cooperate with Indian law enforcement agencies for decades and continues to harbour Khalistani terrorists. The inability of Canadian authorities to properly deal with Khalistani elements and recent attacks on Indian diplomats, senior officials, and leaders have brought the India-Canada relationship to its lowest point. It is high time that India calls Canada what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism. It is about time the world acknowledges it.
The latest confrontation between India and Canada stemmed from the accusations PM Trudeau laid against India in September 2023 that Indian agents were behind the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Trudeau’s claim that they have “credible evidence” linking India to the incident has circulated for over a year without an iota of actual proof. Meanwhile, India made repeated requests to extradite criminals, gangsters, and Khalistani terrorists who have been taking shelter in Canada.
Interestingly, Canada has bluntly refused to act on India’s requests on flimsy excuses, including safeguarding the “human rights” of the criminals wanted by India. The Trudeau-led government needs to reflect on whether it really wants to keep playing the “human rights” card, especially for the separatists and pro-Khalistanis who openly propagate violence in India.
Canada’s refusal to extradite individuals like Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a wanted Khalistani terrorist, shows the true colours of its so-called democracy. In the case of Nijjar, it happened even though he fled India using a fake identity. His request for Canadian citizenship was rejected several times. He was also accused of marrying a Canadian woman of Indian origin just for the sake of gaining citizenship. Despite all the facts against Nijjar, Canada refused to cooperate with Indian authorities. There are hundreds of Khalistani elements operating in Canada, posing a serious threat not only to India’s sovereignty but also to law and order in Canada. Instead of curbing these elements, Canada consistently shields them just for the sake of votes.
Rather than cooperating with Indian authorities to dismantle these criminal syndicates operating in Canada, the RCMP claimed that Indian agents were the problem. Canada seems more concerned about protecting criminals than upholding justice. Interestingly, the RCMP has publicly admitted that violent threats to pro-Khalistani groups from Indian agents are limited to such groups and not the Sikh community as a whole. This admission reveals two important aspects: first, that India is only after the criminals, and second, that Canada is a safe haven for criminals.
By acknowledging that India targets only pro-Khalistanis and not the broader Sikh community, Canada is implicitly confirming the extent to which Khalistani elements have infiltrated its own soil. These are the very elements that have destabilised Punjab in the past, yet Canada embraces them with open arms.
It is essential to recognise that there is a pattern in Canada’s behaviour towards India. Gangsters wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies, so they can stand trial, are living comfortably in Canada and running their syndicates. Terrorists who have bombed, assassinated, and orchestrated attacks against India are freely roaming Canadian cities.
Canada is well aware that these criminals are wanted by India, but they continue to provide political cover for them. Trudeau has pandered to the Khalistani vote bank to secure his political future. It is evident that the safety of Canadian citizens and international law has taken a backseat to the Canadian government’s electoral gains.
Justin Trudeau’s tantrums and hypocrisy cannot be mistaken for justice. He shows no signs of being a serious leader. Expelling six senior Indian diplomats is nothing more than a symbolic gesture aimed at scoring political points with the pro-Khalistani diaspora. However, India is not playing Trudeau’s game. India has responded in kind, expelling six Canadian diplomats and making it clear that these fabricated allegations will not go unanswered.
Trudeau claimed that he respects India’s sovereignty. However, if that were true, he would not have allowed Canada to become a breeding ground for anti-India activities. Yet, here we are: no cooperation, no willingness, and no sign of bringing terrorists to justice is what India has witnessed in its relationship with Canada. Instead, India receives hollow accusations and dangerous political games in return for being a “friend of Canada” for decades. It should not be forgotten that most Canadian universities survive because of students from India, who pay hefty fees to study there.
Hence, it is high time India takes the next logical step and declares Canada a state sponsor of terrorism. The world cannot turn a blind eye to terrorism being harboured in Canada. Furthermore, it is Canada’s moral, ethical, and legal responsibility to stop giving shelter to criminals. Canada also needs to stop laying baseless accusations of criminal activities on others without evidence. Canada’s continued support of Khalistani elements, along with its refusal to act on extradition requests, should be seen as its inability to fight terrorism.
India needs to send a strong message to Canada: if you harbour terrorists, gangsters, and separatists, you will face the consequences.
