By Kaveesha Fernando
NEW DELHI, India (CWBN)_ Indian media reports that over 20 former Indian high commissioners have discouraged Canada from embracing an anti-India stance at the behest of the vocal Indian diaspora in the country. In an open letter, 22 former high commissioners are reported to have stated that India and Canada should be “natural partners” if not for the attention paid by Canada to Indian extremist groups. The letter follows Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks in support of the Indian farmers’ protest, which created tension between the two nations.
The letter is reported to have stated that if Canada’s foreign policy is informed by the Khalistani separatist movement and other similar groups, it might cost Canada its relationship with India. Indian media also reports that the letter rebuked Canadian political parties for adopting vote bank politics, which in this case meant favouring an anti-India stance to attract diaspora votes.
It appears that the issue isn’t new. A media report from 2019 states that the removal of 14 references to Sikh extremism and organisations and the Khalistani separatist movement sparked outrage in India. It is widely believed that Sikh lobbyists had pressured Canada’s ruling party by stating that the community would revoke their support for them during an election year.
Khalistan, which means “Land of the Khālsā (pure)” in Punjabi, is a Sikh political ideology which believes in an autonomous Sikh homeland. The Khalistani movement, which has been fairly inactive since the 1990s, has recently made headlines after they formed an integral part of the Indian farmers’ protest in London and sparked opposition for the three new Indian farm laws in other Western nations as well.
