India-Canada Ties: Punjab under Ominous Shadows

Even as the downturn in Canada-India ties in the wake of accusation of India’s role in the killing of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are likely to impact the students seeking enrolment in Canadian universities the most, it will be Punjab that would remain under the ominous shadows of the soured relationship for a long time.

Canada has the second largest concentration of Sikhs after Punjab and is one among the three states that account for most of the expatriate Indians, the other two being Kerala and Gujarat.

Though the foreign remittances received in Punjab do not come anywhere to the level of what is received by families in Kerala and Gujarat, it is widely acknowledged that thousands of families are supported by members residing or working in Canada and much of that money is routed through unofficial channels.

Similarly, Punjab accounts for the largest number of visitors from Canada and travellers to Canada. Any continuation of the current adversarial nature of ties is all likely to impact the State’s financial health as well as having a demoralising influence on families divided between the two nations.

It is for Indian diplomacy to convince the authorities in Canada of the futility of allowing a hospitable climate for activists of Khalistan as it has no grassroots support among Sikhs residing in Punjab or elsewhere in India.

If indeed Khalistan had any support in the past, it was merely due to cross-border encouragement and was rooted out during 1985-1993 campaign to uproot the militants entirely.

Any extraterritorial sympathy and support for Khalistani activists will neither benefit Canada (or for that matter the United Kingdom and Australia) nor will be in the interest of the people in Punjab.

Canada has been oblivious to India’s concern over certain magazines playing up separatist cause and most recently the brazen glorification of assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in a parade organized in the city of Brampton.