As tensions continue to rise between Canada and India, a most incendiary climax of sorts was reached on November 3, when a group of Khalistan supporters attacked a Hindu temple in Brampton, Canada, during the holy weekend of Diwali.

Nor were they the first pro-Khalistan displays of power and intimidation in Brampton, with prior shows and parades and even a celebration of Indira Gandhi’s assassination in the recent past.

After all, this was to be expected after so many months of diplomatic confrontation between Canada and India, a “democratic ally.” Unsurprisingly, this has led to the Canadian government allowing free passes to pro-Khalistan groups to carry out their violent, tyrannical and oppressive actions against Hindus in Canada.

All this due to the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist, officially classified as a terrorist by the Indian Government, in Canada. Canada, in a shocking international diplomatic incident, has had the insolence and audacity to suggest that the Indian High Commissioner to Canada and other senior diplomats are “persons of interest” in respect of a crime committed in the country. That too, without a single shred of evidence, other than vague hints of “intelligence”.

India has responded, rightly claiming that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s actions appear motivated by vote bank politics. Since his tenure began in 2015, electoral vote banks have encouraged Canadian political parties to pursue a policy of appeasement towards the Sikh community thanks to their significant financial political donations.

Under Trudeau, pro-Khalistan emotions and actions have been harnessed for political gain. After the 2015 general election in Canada, when the Liberal Party achieved a majority of 184 seats in Parliament, there were 18 Sikhs among them, 4 of whom were appointed to the Cabinet. The growing representation of Sikhs in Parliament and their considerable financial power have now led to particularly biased participation of this community by Trudeau and his government.

India has long called on Western governments to crack down on the Khalistan separatist movement, but its pleas have been mostly ignored as the movement does not attack them directly. However, the West fails to realize that the Khalistan movement of the 1980s in India was one of the deadliest in independent India, claiming more than 25,000 lives.

Canada, of course, has a long history of harboring extremists, terrorists and propagators of organized crime.

In 1982, they refused to extradite Talwinder Singh Parmar, the founder of the international terrorist group Babbar Khalsa, responsible for the bombing of Air India Flight 182. By the way, the extradition request was denied by Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau.

In 1987, Canada and India entered into a bilateral extradition agreement that allowed the requested State to refuse extradition if it involved a political crime or was not committed in good faith. This included crimes such as hostage-taking and terrorism. Repeated requests were made to the Canadian government regarding the extradition of Sikh extremist Nijjar, which were never fulfilled.

The absolute refusal to extradite a terrorist raises several questions regarding double standards and realpolitik.

However, politics and personal ambition aside, does Trudeau understand the full repercussions of his actions? Do you realize you are putting Canadian citizens at risk? Indo-Canadians in Canada, as well as Canadians around the world, in such a charged political environment?

In Canada, local Hindus are now terrified of going out in pro-Khalistan hotbeds like Brampton and Surrey. It’s not an unfounded fear at all, considering all the recent violence.

The fear among Indo-Canadians is palpable, which is an obvious result if the country’s prime minister publicly says things like: “India is bad, India is dangerous, they are sending criminal gangs…”.

Furthermore, it has now become necessary to recognize Trudeau’s double standards here. The Globe & Mail recently revealed that two of Trudeau’s top advisers, Nathalie Drouin and David Morrison, both federal officials, leaked “classified intelligence” about India to the Washington Post.

What exactly this “intelligence” said or demonstrated is anyone’s guess, aside from dark slander and accusations.

Trudeau himself denounced the leaks about China, calling them “illegal.” It is now widely acknowledged that Beijing has been “clandestinely and deceptively” interfering in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections.

The interference allegedly favored candidates who aligned with Beijing’s strategic interests, discouraging support for the Conservative Party, which is widely considered anti-China.

The CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) revealed these findings in its 2023 report. Of course, a Trudeau minority government was achieved, which was China’s desired outcome in Canada.

This is also the same Trudeau who called Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein to condemn Hamas attacks against Israel while reaffirming Canada’s support for Israel and its “right to defend itself against acts of terrorism.” There were also words about India, about diplomatic relations between both countries and the importance of the ‘rule of law’ and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

He also once again called on UAE President Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahain to condemn Hamas’ actions and provide an update on Canada’s ongoing diplomatic dispute with India.

The hypocrisy here is almost ridiculous. Calling Middle East leaders and showing concern about a war on their doorstep, but also inserting a childish complaint like, “Hey, do you know what India is doing to us?”

So what is Trudeau playing at? It is a question that demands to be asked, even in the name of patriotism and good governance. Their extreme and sometimes irrational hostility towards India has been evident for a long time. His cabinet has long included people who have openly extremist and harmful intentions towards India.

His crude and unconditional interference in Indian domestic politics, especially in December 2020, was ridiculously scandalous and showed his true intentions quite clearly.

His expulsion of top Indian diplomats and allegations against the Indian High Commission will also undoubtedly lead to a disruption in visa processes for Indian citizens, travelers and citizen card holders abroad, as communications between the two High Commissions have stopped.

Tensions are currently at an all-time high between India and Canada, and New Delhi has made it clear that its patience with Canada is on ice. One thing must be made very clear to Trudeau and to those who may concern: it is not the Sikh community in Canada that India has a problem with; It is Khalistani terrorists who pose a threat to India’s national security.

The author is a freelance journalist and features writer based in Delhi. His main areas of interest are politics, social issues, climate change and lifestyle issues. The opinions expressed in the previous article are personal and exclusive to the author. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Firstpost.