REWIND
New Delhi, 28
September 2023
Canada, Sikhs, India and Pakistan
By
Inder Jit
(Released
on 13 October 1987)
Vancouver:
Canada has been a far cry from India for long. But it is not so anymore. Things
have greatly changed for the better during the past three years, thanks mainly
to the activities of extremist Canadian Sikhs of Indian origin, who first
raised the flag of Khalistan in Canada as early as 1981--- more than three years
before “Operation Blue Star”. Even today Khalistani flags fly alongside the
Nishan Sahib at the old Weston Road Gurudwara at Toronto and at the impressive
Gurudwara in Ross Street at Vancouver, popularly described as the “Headquarters
of Khalistan”. Indo-Canadian relations touched their lowest point in the 1970s
and the early 1980s, adversely affected by bitterness and misunderstanding over
India’s peaceful nuclear implosion and by Ottawa’s failure in New Delhi’s eyes
to deal firmly with its Sikh extremists. Canada is now alive and responsive to
New Delhi’s feelings and demands, deeply roused by Indira Gandhi’s
cold-blooded assassination the horrendous destruction of Air India’s Kanishka
in June 1985 which sent 302 innocent persons to their watery grave. Indeed, relations between the two countries are today best
described as being “close and, indeed, very friendly”.
Nothing
symbolises this more than the third visit of the Canadian Foreign Minister, Mr.
Joe Clark, to India earlier this February in barely three years. The reason was
summed up succinctly by Mr Clark during his visit to New Delhi when he said: “I
have returned to New Delhi only 14 months after my last visit for three simple
reasons: the growing importance of India in the world. The growing importance
of India to Canada. And, the growing importance of Canada to India”. India’s
economic relations have expanded enormously in the past few years. Our two-way
trade reached $660 million in 1985 and several steps have been taken already to
lay the base for greater growth. Canada has, for instance, opened a new trade
office in Bombay. Nearly 50 Canadian firms exhibited their products in the
Seventh Indian Engineering Trade Fair in New Delhi in February, where Canada
enjoyed the status of a “Partner Country”. A Memorandum of Understanding on
Industrial and Technological collaboration has been signed, a double taxation
agreement ratified and the first annual Ministerial consultations held in
February. The Canada-Indian Air Service Agreement has been renewed to enable
expansion of the present direct air links by our two national carriers.
However,
the big question is will Ottawa be able to prevent Canadian Sikhs from actively
funding and supporting terrorists and terrorism in India. Jathedar Talwinder
Singh Parmar, who heads the Babbar Khalsa, and other militant Sikhs whom I meet
in Toronto, Vancouver and elsewhere in Canada during a three-week visit to the
country, left me in no doubt about their basic position. They stand for
Khalistan and its creation as a separate independent country. “We have no
choice after what has come to pass. There has been a breach of faith from the
word go --- ever since India achieved independence. The assurance given by
Gandhi, Nehru and Patel to our people have not been implemented. Now our Darbar
Sahib has been attacked and our women and mothers assaulted... We have no place
in India after the massacre of the Sikhs in New Delhi and elsewhere in India
following Indira Gandhi’s assassination. No action has been taken against the
culprits... Hundreds of our people are still in detention without trial at
Jodhpur ... Yes, India is a powerful State. But we shall not let it rest in
peace... We shall fight long as we have life in us...” Other militants echoed
identical sentiments. Few saw anything wrong in seeking Pakistani help.“An
enemy’s enemy is a friend”, asserted Jathedar Parmar.
Pakistan
is exploiting the situation to its full advantage. Sikh-Muslim Friendship
Societies have been formed both in Canada and in the U.S. to promote Islamabad’s
diabolical designs against India. A full-page advertisement carried by the “World
Sikh News” offers its Sikh readers “Greetings from Sikh-Muslim Friendship Society
on the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of the Khalsa”. The
advertisement carries a photograph of Guru Govind Singh and below it two hands
firmly clasped with the following legend atop: Hands Across Faiths. It also
carried the names of the President (Syed Javed Shah), Vice President (Gurcharan
Singh Dhillon), Secretary (Gurinder Singh Grewal) and Assistant Secretary
(Sahid I. Mufti) ---and the addresses of the Head office and 14 Chapters.
Importantly, the advertisement carries at the bottom and on its two sides a
message which leaves no scope for any doubt in regard to Islamabad’s active
involvement in the Friendship Society. The message, published in bold letters,
reads: Support AWACS for Pakistan. This advertisement is, however, only a small
part of the game Pakistan is playing even as it claims innocence in the face of
conclusive evidence of its support to terrorist activity in India.
Islamabad
continues to encourage Canadian Sikhs to come to Pakistan and is using them as
a conduit both for mobilising funds and arms and for promoting terrorist
activity in India. At least seven Canadian Sikhs are known to be living in
Pakistan for the past two years virtually as VIP guests, notwithstanding the
show it has made of “arresting” and trying them for attacking Indian diplomats
with swords on two occasions. The Vancouver Sun reported on September 27 last
year that the Canadian President of the International Sikh Youth Federation, Mr
Satinderpal Singh, “and his six companions of the Youth Federation travel
freely in Pakistan, protected 24 hours of the day by Pakistani police, whom
they order around like servants”. For the first six months, according to the
Sun, “the seven resided in a comfortable Lahore Guest House”, a courtesy provided
by the Pakistan Government. In July last, the seven Canadian Sikhs were still
on bail pending trial. But they all jumped bail. Four among them are said to
have crossed into India. Three Canadian Sikhs have been arrested so far and
have provided important details of much that Pakistan is doing for training
terrorists and sending them to India.
Opinion
is sharply divided on the precise strength of the hardcore Khalistanis among
the Canadian Sikhs and their precise activities. Some place the number at “several
thousands”--- 5 to 10 per cent of 1,50,000 Sikhs in Canada. Authoritative and
well-informed sources in Ottawa and elsewhere, however, place the number of
such persons at no more than 200 to 250. Estimates also vary in regard to the
funds collected by them. Some observers believe that lakhs of dollars have been
collected. But hardly any money has been sent to India. Most of it has
allegedly been “swallowed up” by various leaders locally. Some of these large
collections have even led to parting of ways. Jathedar Talwinder Singh Parmar
has been publicly accused by Jathedar Tejinder Singh Kahlon, once his second in
command, of having “deceived gullible Sikhs” to pocket 3 to 5 lakhs of Canadian
dollars. But Jathedar Talwinder Singh stoutly denied the charge in his talk
with me and denounced Jathedar Kahlon as having been hired to malign him. Yet
the truth about the collections seems to lie somewhere in between. A majority
ofthe Canadian Sikhs have been donating funds generously. According to one
authoritative source, Canadian Sikh extremists are even stated to have financed
the purchase of weapons worth $0.5 million from Europe for their men operating
from Pakistan.
All
manner of stories have been sold to devout Sikhs, as discovered by a group of
Canadian MPs who visited India earlier this April. Mr Benno Priessen, who led
the delegation, told an Indo-Canadian gathering at the House of Commons on
return that they would “no longer be misled by ill-informed opinion in Canada
about conditions in Punjab”. Some Sikh groups in Canada had “expected us to
come back from India and say conditions in Punjab were ripe for the creation of
Khalistan”. But the complaints they had heard against New Delhi in Punjab were
the same as those voiced in West Bengal, Maharashtra and the South. “Nobody
mentioned the word Khalistan in Punjab”, he added. Not only that. Mr Friessen
deplored what he called the prejudicial approach taken by radical elements in
the Sikh community who would like to create an “independent” home for Indian
Sikhs while living in Canada. He declared: “Before we left for India, Canadian
Sikh groups had told us that we would not see a single Sikh in Amritsar in the
age group of 20 and 30. But we saw quite a number of them all over the city and
elsewhere, busily going about their business”. Importantly, MrPriessen stated
that “no obstacles of any kind were placed inour travels all over the
country...”
What do
the Canadians feel? Several bold and brave persons of Indian origin, notably Mr
Ujjal Dosanjh, a Barrister in Vancouver and Mr Nirmal Dhindsa in Toronto
strongly denounced the extremists and their activities
which they felt were bringing a bad name to the community. Mr Dhindsa claimed
that most of the militants were doing “roaring business”. Their strength,
he said, was highly exaggerated as shown during the visit of Mr Harkishan Singh
Surjeet, a member of the CPI (M) Politburo, in August last. The militants had
denounced Mr Surjeet as the “greatest enemy of the Sikh Panth” and warned that
he would not be permitted to address any meeting. Yet two rallies were held
successfully --- one in Toronto and the other in Vancouver. An overwhelming
majority of the Punjabis in Canada, he asserted, were not in favour of
Khalistan. Mr Dosanjh openly attacked the militants some time ago as a bunch of
“ruffians and goondas”, and added: “We have our own problems in Canada. Our
battle and future is here.” The militants reacted sharply. He was hit on the
head with an iron pipe one evening as he was about to get into his car. He fell
unconscious and had to be given 80 stitches. Significantly, this has not
deterred Mr Dosanjh from boldly continuing his opposition to the demand for
Khalistan.
Several
leading Canadians, including public men, publisher editors and professors, that
I met across the board in Montreal,Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston Ontario, Calgary
and Vancouver were agreed on one point: “the militants among the Sikhs of Indian
origin, are not being fair to the country of their adoption by bringing into it
their own problems. Once in Canada, they must act and function as good
Canadians. If they still feel strongly about any problem in India, let them go
back. But they have no business to embarrass Canada and harm its relations with
friendly countries”. They were also agreed with the firm assertion made by Mr
Joe Clark during his visit to India in February last when he said: “My
Government is absolutely determined that Canada shall not be used as a haven
for terrorists”. He also stated: “The number of newcomers intent on using
violence to achieve political aims in their country of origin is small indeed.
Nonetheless we take their people very seriously, and the threat they represent
has become oneof our major security priorities. The Extradition Treaty
exemplifies joint Indo-Canadian determination to fight terrorism”. Importantly,
Canada has conceded in the Treaty some of the points desired by India --- even
as Britain continues to drag its feet in the matter. Happily, these points are
said to have sent much-needed signals to the militants.
Where do
we go from here? I put this question not only to Jathedar Talwinder Singh
Parmar, but many others, including Mr Daljit Singh Sandhu, President of the
Ross Street Gurudwara, which can seat 5,000 people at one time and has thick
wall-to-wall carpeting. All had more or less the same answer to give: “Ask Mr
Rajiv Gandhi and his Government”. When pressed, Jathedar Parmar said: “I agree
with your view that there can be no lasting solution to any problem at the
point of a gun or kirpan. We should surely try to seek a peaceful solution. Let
New Delhi talk not only to the high priests at Darbar Sahib but also to other
Sikh leaders and people who have suffered ... In Sri Lanka, New Delhi has
secured amnesty for all Tamil militants. Why not the same for those in Punjab
... Faith and trust has to be restored”. Most people expressed strong
disappointment that the Punjab issue had not been resolved. “The longer it
drags on”, they said, “the worse it is for us”. A solution has undoubtedly to
be found in India. But the Canadian Sikhs, too, will have to be clear about
what they stand for. They first raised the flag of Khalistan in Canada in 1981
and also established so-called Consulates of Khalistan in Toronto, Winnipeg and
Vancouver the same year. All men of goodwill need to come together and assert
themselves. Fortunately, they constitute an overwhelming majority of our people
--- both in Canada and in India. --- INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)
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