New Delhi: Canadian newspapers on Tuesday, September 19, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations that the Indian government was behind the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was “shocking”, noting that the already strained relations between the two countries are set to take a turn for the worse.In an explosive statement to the Canadian parliament, Trudeau claimed that Canadian security agencies are pursuing “credible allegations” that the killing of Nijjar was linked to the Indian government. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, is accused by India of leading a militant Khalistani group – an allegation he had denied.Newspaper columnists and analysts pointed out that the allegations are serious and unprecedented in Canada’s history. However, they also warned against lumping India together with China and Russia when it comes to the issue of foreign interference.Stunning, says Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail said that the incident shows that “foreign governments are continuing to reach into Canada to intimidate”.“There has never been anything like this before: an explosive public allegation that a foreign government’s agents targeted and killed a Canadian citizen, in Canada,” wrote Campbell Clark.The newspaper said that “India is not supposed to be an enemy, or even an adversary” despite tensions between the two countries because the Indian government has for decades “accused Canada of being soft on Khalistani terrorists”. The report adds that “India has often conflated non-violent Sikh separatist advocates with terrorists and extremists”.Saying that the idea that New Delhi might send agents to kill a Canadian in Canada is “stunning”, the newspaper added, “Canada is jolted into recognizing a new world in which foreign governments reach out to influence, intimidate and coerce Canadians in Canada. Again, there is new reason to believe foreign interference might be a bigger, broader danger than this country is prepared to counter. This time, the allegation is assassination, which underlines the direct threat to the security of Canadians – especially those who belong to diaspora communities here.”The report refers to previous incidents of foreign interference in Canada such as illegal Chinese police activity in several Canadian locations and attempts by Beijing to influence Canadian elections.Despite Trudeau’s “explosive, albeit unproven, allegation”, the newspaper said that “it is far from certain that the U.S. and other Canadian allies will rush to hold India to account”.“For one thing, credible allegations in the hands of intelligence agencies aren’t the same as evidence gathered by police for a trial. And in a world where Western allies have imposed extensive economic sanctions against Russia and are increasingly seeking to counter China’s influence, the U.S. and European nations won’t relish the prospect of conflict with another major power,” the Globe and Mail said.“But if the allegation is true, it will be fuel for the coming public inquiry into foreign interference. Foreign governments apparently feel as though they can reach into Canada with impunity. Countering that is now a pressing national priority.”‘Could be a significant setback’Meanwhile, the National Post said that Trudeau’s claims are “just the latest issue souring relations between the two countries, much of which is centred around India’s accusations that Canada has tolerated the growth here of a violent Khalistan independence movement”.Vivek Dehejia, a professor at Carleton University who focuses on India, told the newspaper that because of the Trudeau government’s continuing focus on catering to the grievances of the voters “of the Sikh diaspora who are hostile to India”, a historically important Liberal constituency is “intrinsically not very keen on (cozying) up with India”.The report also said that Trudeau’s announcement could explain why the trade mission to India scheduled for the second week in October was abruptly cancelled.Jonathan Miller, senior fellow and director of foreign affairs at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, told the National Post that the Canadian government’s accusations will “undoubtedly push relations between Canada and India even further apart”.“If this (allegation) is proven, if this incident sticks, I think this will be a significant setback… I’m not saying the relationship will never recover, or even in the medium term that we won’t find ways to get together, but I think this is a pretty large blow.”Miller also cautioned against “putting India in the same foreign interference category as either Russia or China”.“China is head-over-heels a much larger threat actor for us in different ways,” he said.Trudeau’s decision to make the claim in the House of Commons “represents a severe loss of face for the Indian government that will make it harder to repair relations”, Miller added.The scowls said it all. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi last week. Photo: Twitter/Justin Trudeau‘Violence must stop’In an opinion piece, Brian Lilley wrote in the Toronto Sun that despite all the cases filed against Nijjar in India, “none of that matters when a country is accused of carrying out an extrajudicial killing of a Canadian citizen”.“The Modi government could have sought extradition, they could have held a trial in absentia, they could have tried many other options. Instead, they are accused of a ‘credible’ link to the same kind of violence they claim to abhor,” the article says.Lilley said that there has been “enough violence, enough killings of Canadians related to the issue of Khalistan”.He referred to the Air India bombing in 1985 and the shooting and attempted assassination of Indian government minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu. “Now we have the assassination of a Canadian citizen active in the Khalistani movement… We have had enough bloodshed of Canadians over a political battle half a world away in another country. It has to stop.”‘Shocking allegation’Shinder Purewal, a political scientist at Kwantlen Polytechnic University who has written extensively about the Khalistani movement in Canada, told CBC that Trudeau’s accusation was “shocking,” and will send diplomatic relations to a new low.Former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh said that the accusation was “very troubling” and would likely damage relationships between India and Canada in the long term. “You expect democracies, other countries, to abide by the rule of international law and not to go into other countries and target people that you might perceive as enemies… Like most Canadians, I want to know what’s going on because it is incredibly worrying that a country like India can come across borders and kill our citizens,” he said.
