Canada has truly become the Pakistan of the West. On Tuesday, the Canadian Parliament shattered any vestiges of its civilised existence by observing a moment of silence in memory of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistani terrorist killed a year ago. Nijjar, a leader of the Khalistan Tiger Forces, was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Far from identifying Nijjar as a terrorist, Ottawa has damaged relations with India by accusing the Indian government of assassinating a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil without providing any evidence to back up the claim. Yet Canada has not only provided safe haven for thousands of Khalistani terrorists, it has given them a role in the government.
Isn’t harboring terrorists state-sponsored terrorism? How is this different from what Pakistan is doing? Canada has now “officially” given up its right to speak out against terrorism. Canada has itself become a perpetrator.
Just a few days ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time since publicly accusing the Indian government of being behind the assassination of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In a recent interview, Trudeau said the two countries “have to address as democracies some very serious issues about national security and keeping Canadians safe.”
Who are the Canadians he is referring to? Pro-Khalistani terrorists? Instead of fighting terrorism, he is giving space to people totally obsessed with it. Why does the Prime Minister continue to ignore the terrorists in front of him? Because they voted for him?
Why Canada is now like Pakistan
Several militant groups receive support from Pakistan. Founded in the late 1980s, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has links to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and has carried out numerous attacks in India, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Another group, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), operating in Jammu and Kashmir, has been responsible for high-profile attacks in India, including the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack. The Haqqani Network, which operates primarily in Afghanistan, has been responsible for numerous attacks against NATO and Afghan forces and is believed to be backed by the ISI.
In an October 2021 congressional report on terrorism, the US said there are at least 12 groups in Pakistan designated as “foreign terrorist organisations”, five of which are India-centric organisations such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
LeT was officially designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2001. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has attributed significant attacks to LeT, including the Mumbai attacks in 2008. The CRS report also mentions that JeM was involved in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and other attacks along with LeT.
Harakat-ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI) was established in Afghanistan in 1980 to fight against the Soviet Union. It was designated an FTO in 2010. After 1989, HUJI redirected its activities to India, but continued to support the Afghan Taliban. According to reports, HUJI operates in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India with the goal of integrating Kashmir into Pakistan. Harakat-ul-Mujahideen was designated an FTO in 1997 and is primarily active in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and certain cities in Pakistan.
Founded in 1989, Hizbul Mujahideen, considered the militant wing of Pakistan’s largest Islamist political party, was designated an FTO in 2017. It is known as one of the oldest and most important militant organisations operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
CRS reported that Pakistan continues to provide a safe haven for terrorist groups with a specific geographic focus, according to the US State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2019. It further stated that Pakistan allows groups targeting Afghanistan as well as India to operate from its territory.
Isn’t Canada doing the same by providing a safe haven to pro-Khalistani terrorists?
The Canadian government, in a so-called show of “respect” to pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, officially recognised him as the non-existent Burhan Wani of Khalistan.
Who is Burhan Wani?
Burhan Wani was a prominent militant commander for Hizbul Mujahideen who rose to prominence through his social media presence posting photos and videos calling for armed resistance against India. His ability to use social media effectively made him an iconic figure for many young Kashmiris and he was often seen as the face of a new wave of militancy in the region.
Wani’s death in a clash with Indian security forces on 8 July 2016 sparked protests and violence across Kashmir. His killing has led to prolonged unrest and multiple clashes between protesters and security forces, resulting in scores of deaths and injuries.
To Pakistan, Wani is a martyr, but to the rest of the world, he is a terrorist. Canada should think carefully at home about which category it wants to put Nijjar in.
Distorted “national security”
The “national security” aspect should not be biased in favour of Canada at the expense of India. Trudeau is stoking a false sense of threat from Indian intelligence, similar to Pakistan’s tactics when unidentified militants target terrorists in an attempt to protect a politically unstable position.
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