BARBER: This was no way for PM to Sikh support

Like all politicians, Prime Minister Trudeau has visited many regions and interacted with different groups in an attempt to maintain support for the Liberals. One of these groups is the 800,000-strong Canadian Sikh community. This is a particular concern for the Liberals because the deal they made with the NDP to hang on to power elevated Jagmeet Singh to a more prominent position nationally, than he might otherwise have held. Jagmeet Singh, the head of the NDP, is a Sikh. Now, this has placed Trudeau between the devil and the deep blue sea.Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen originally from India, was murdered on June 18, 2023, in Surrey. To some he was a human rights activist and a proponent of the Khalistan movement. Khalistan is a name given to a hopeful separate homeland for Sikhs drawn from Punjab, India and parts of Pakistan. (This area was once an independent Sikh kingdom.) On the other hand, the government of India accuses the late Mr. Nijjar of being a militant terrorist. And, in Sept 2023, PM Trudeau claimed to have evidence that the Indian government was behind Mr. Nijjar’s murder.In April, the PM was among several Canadian politicians who spoke at the large Sikh Vaisakhi celebration in Toronto. This was one of the PM’s activities to garner support. But, while there were no illegal activities at the Toronto celebration and thousands of people had a good time, there were chants supporting the creation of Khalistan. The Indian government (and media7) took note of our PM’s presence.For, the call for the creation of Khalistan is understood in India as a call for the breakup of the nation. The Indian government lodged complaints with the Canadian government for allowing unchecked calls from the separatists. The relationship between the governments of Canada and India deteriorated rapidly following these events.Where is the fault in all of this? If the murder of Mr. Nijjar was a street crime of some sort, the terrible incident could have been handled by the local police and court system. As soon as the PM was informed of the suspicion a foreign government was involved however, he should have immediately stopped viewing the murder as a question of justice alone and understood that it now constituted a possible greater problem. But, wanting the support of the Sikh community seems to have outweighed his sworn obligation to the nation. That is, he did not have to attend the Toronto celebration. Instead of making various aspects of the murder case public and trying to use it for his own political purposes, the situation called for a circumspect response and a well-thought-out diplomatic approach. This obviously did not take place, as we have expelled the High Commissioner from India, Sanjay Kumar Verma along with other Indian diplomats, and India has expelled our diplomats. This is not to say that the Indian government is necessarily innocent. But, evidence acceptable to a court of law has not been forthcoming; only the PM’s allegations have emerged. The RCMP has identified some persons of interest, but that is not a conviction. The U.S. Ambassador to Canada has gone on record stating that Canada received information from the Five Eyes about this incident, but no details were provided. The people of Canada cannot make an informed opinion regarding these events due to a lack of information. What little we know, is unconfirmed. Would it be far-fetched to think that the PM was willing to be public about such information when he thought it served him and now that the events have blown up in his face, he is not so willing?In a recent development, the RCMP has allegec that the Indian government has been involved in crimes in Canada. Whether these RCMP allegations are directly connected to the murder of Mr. Nijjar is unknown. It should be noted that the Indian government has denied the allegations. Canada’s national interests have not been served here. They have not been served because local political soliciting was deemed more important than international relations.It is doubtful that PM Trudeau understands the complicated history between Sikhs and the Indian government. Was he advised, for example, about the misguided tragedy of the Indian Army’s 1984 Operation Blue Star? This led to the death of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a supporter of the Khalistan movement, the desecration of the Sikhs’ holy site, and the assassination of the corrupt PM Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards. Pictures of Bhindranwale hang in Canada. Probably not, but as PM, he should have known where his first duties lay. In addition to the many problems Trudeau will hand off to the next government, one of the most tenacious may be rehabilitating our relations with India, the largest democracy in the world and a growing economic powerhouse, while still serving justice.Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.