Trudeau Is Casting Himself As The Saviour Of Khalistanis In Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose unwillingness to act against Khalistanis has dented the country's ties with India, is now casting himself as their saviour.

On Sunday (28 April), at a Khalsa Day event where pro-Khalistan slogans were raised in his presence, the Canadian Prime Minister said that his government would "protect the rights and freedom" of "nearly 800 thousand Canadians of Sikh heritage."

"...we will always be there to protect your rights and your freedom, and we will always defend your community against hatred and discrimination," Trudeau said.

This comes at a time when Khalistanis in Canada have attacked the Indian High Commission and painted a target on the back of Indian diplomats in the country.

Late last year, the Canadian government accused India of being involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen — terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar — in Surrey.

India has contemptuously rejected the assertion made by Canada, accusing Trudeau of using the issue for vote bank politics.

Sikhs form 1.9 per cent of the total population of Canada. The community is believed to be the kingmaker in many constituencies where it is concentrated.

As one of Trudeau's former advisors Omar Aziz wrote recently, Trudeau's reluctance to address Indian concerns about potential terrorist financing from supporters of an independent Sikh state in India stemmed from a fear of losing the Sikh vote to Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada's New Democratic Party.

Aziz claimed that this fear led the Trudeau government to stubbornly resist Indian government demands on action against the activities of Sikh separatist organisations in Canada.

While Canada was forced to walk back from its aggressive posturing on the issue, Trudeau has continued to signal to Khalistanis in Canada that they enjoy a free hand to carry out anti-India activities on Canadian soil. His participation in the Khalsa Day event despite the presence of pro-Khalistan elements is being seen in this context.

The fact that Trudeau attended an event where posters depicting Indian political leaders (as reported by Sidhant Sibal of WION), blaming them for the killing of Nijjar, were present, highlights the lengths to which the Canadian Prime Minister is willing to go to secure the Sikh vote.

To emphasise the unprecedented nature of this action, it's inconceivable for an Indian Prime Minister to attend an event featuring posters accusing a foreign leader of the murder of an Indian citizen. Such a scenario might only be conceivable in relation to Pakistan, where the posters would likely target the serving Pakistan Army Chief rather than the prime minister.