New PM, old threat: Why Khalistan terror still thrives in Carney’s Canada
Under Justin Trudeau the handling of the Khalistan issue was a complete joke.
Under Justin Trudeau the handling of the Khalistan issue was a complete joke. He gave these terrorists so much leeway that they have become monsters in Canada today.
After Trudeau stepped down, elections were held a few months later and Mark Carney was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Canada. In Carney, India saw hope on many fronts. Firstly to improve diplomatic ties which had nose dived under Trudeau. Secondly and also very importantly, the end of the Khalistan menace, which has a thriving network in Canada that affects India’s national security.
While Carney did show promise on this issue, one could say that he has been somewhat slow to act. The Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) which is a proscribed terror group in both India and Canada carried out a brazen attack during which a newly launched cafe at Surrey belonging to comedian Kapil Sharma was shot at.
Videos showed a man firing multiple rounds at the cafe’s glass window from a car. The incident took place just days after the cafe’s soft launch on the social media.
The attack was claimed by one Harjit Singh Laddi, a proscribed terrorist and a key operative of the Babbar Khalsa International.
While the threat was always there, this attack is quite brazen in nature. The situation is going from bad to worse in terms of security in Canada. There is already a rise in the number of activities by the Khalistan forces. There have been attacks on Hindu Temples, synagogues, Jewish play schools among others. This attack just adds to that long list and yet again the authorities have no right answers.
The building that houses the cafe includes retail units on the ground floor and residential apartments above. The ground level has a multi faith centre and two others businesses, which are yet to open.
While there has been condemnation, paper tiger terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun issued a fresh threat. Pannun in a bizarre statement said that Canada is not Kapil Sharma’s playground. “Take your blood money back to Hindustan. Canada will not allow violent Hindutva ideology to take root on Canadian soil under the guise of business.”
He questioned whether the Kap’s Cafe was just a comedy venue or part of a larger strategy to export Hindutva. “One business at a time,” Pannun also said.
Laddi, a German based operative of the BKI coordinates operations of the outfit in Canada and the United Kingdom. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for any information relating to Laddi.
Laddi’s boss and BKI chief Wadhwa Singh Babbar is based out of Pakistan and operates with the help of the ISI.
The Canadian authorities say that it is too early to comment on what the motive could be. While Laddi said that the attack was because Kapil Sharma had not apologised for the remarks made on his show relating to the Nihang Sikhs. He said that the comments were offensive.
The comments on the show may just be an excuse and the real reason may be to target Indian businesses in Canada.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for the first officially confirmed that Khalistan extremists are using Canadian soil as a base to promote, fundraise and plan violent activities, primarily targeting India. "Since the mid-1980s, the PMVE [politically motivated violent extremism] threat in Canada has manifested primarily through Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) seeking to use and support violent means to create an independent nation state called the Khalistan, largely within Punjab, India," the CSIS report said.
The report is quite damning and good enough for Carney to take the issue more seriously. The Khalistanis in Canada have formed themselves into a voting bloc that can decide the electoral fate of parties. Further they are all deeply embedded in the Canadian government.
The World Sikh Organisation, which is a prominent Khalistani body has considerable influence within the Canadian government. Carney is unlikely to upset a major voting bloc. He may not be able to change the mindset of the Canadian officials who regard the Khalistanis as harmless political activists.
Carney could probably act on the extradition requests of Khalistani terrorists made by India. Out of the 26, only 5 have been acted upon. Last December, Arsh Dalla, an operative of the Khalistan Tiger Force was granted bail despite India’s efforts to have him extradited. He is wanted in India for over 50 cases that include murder, extortion, acts of terror and extortion.