Theres a new kind of insurrection in town- it’s attempting to advocate for the creation of a Sikh state in India. But there’s one problem, it’s being carried out 11,462km away in Canada.
If you can’t tell by my sardonic irony, I have a palpable problem with the pro Khalistan movement in Canada.
Canadian sikhs involved should not be actively campaigning for the creation of Khalistan in India. Why? Because they are Canadian citizens and they are undermining another democracy. As long as they are breathing Canadian air, they ought to respect the territorial integrity of India.
If they want to give birth to Khalistan, that is fine, as long as they are actually living inside India while attempting to do it.
Let me be clear, they have freedom of speech but they are planting seeds of an insurrection in India- a nation over 14,000 km away.
With 770,000 Sikhs in Canada and people have a right to express their thoughts but what is happening in Canada is a carefully orchestrated and planned attempt to sway the future of a sovereign nation from Canadian soil.
What India does is the business of India but the pro Khalistani movement in Canada is suffering from a symptom of our age, they selectively place their chosen identity first.
If Modi’s government is aggressively pro Hindu and repressive towards other religions and communities, then why don’t the pro Khalistani movement in Canada relocate to the Punjab?
My problem is this: If you are a pro Khalistani Canadian of Sikh background, just remember one thing, you don’t live in India and if you cared so much about the creation of a pro Khalistan state, go to the Punjab and ensure that one is created.
India is right to harbor frustrations and the Canadian government is also right to push back against India too. When Hardeep Singh Nijaar was shot outside a temple in Canada, his death came after the Indian government designated him as a “terrorist” Nijaar had been an outspoken critic of India and had long called for the creation of a Sikh state in India.
The masked gunmen responsible for the murder were arrested by Canadian police claiming links between the assassins and the Indian government. In October, Canada expelled several Indian diplomats.
The situation has turned into a diplomatic disaster between the two democratic nations. India should not be assassinating Candadians on Canadian soil but the protest culture endemic in Canadian society has brought things to a point where India feels as though its territorial sovereignty is being undermined by factions within a foreign state.
In this tit for tat, the pro Khalistna Candians stoked the flames first, not India.
What India does is the business of its government and its people.
Last week, the most vile elements of the pro Khalistan movement came to bare. Three men were arrested for aggravated assault in Brampton and Missasagua.
Apparently attacking innocent people on Hindu temple grounds in Canada is justified, if you are vying for the creation of a Sikh state over 14,000km away.
It isn’t.
Pro Khalistani protesters began attacking innocent people when Indian government officials were visiting the temple in Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton.
But Trudeau refused to mention the attacks were orchestrated by the Khalistan movement :
“The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely.”
Thank you to the Peel Regional Police for swiftly responding to protect the community and investigate this incident.
Former member of the House of Commons in Canada, Chandra Arya posted on social media after the incident:
Politicians are deliberately avoiding recognising and mentioning Khalistanis as responsible for the attack, or after shifting blame to other entities, They are misleading Canadians by framing this as an issue between Hindus and Sikhs”
Arya is right, the pro Khalistan movement in Canada is out of control, but if they really want to see a a Khalistani state in India, they should move there to ensure it happens.
