The Canadian government is allowing Khalistani activities to rise to please the domestic constituency, intelligence sources told CNN-News18 on Thursday.
The idea behind this is to keep a large workforce and promote their vested interests, they said.
They are basically pushing the idea of Khalistan, Operation Blue Star, and Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale to the generation born after 1984, the sources said.
The extremists have raised a large terror force within Canada and are carrying out killings, bomb blasts, and non-state activities from there, they added.
“Diplomatic channels have failed time and again on this issue and the present dispensation is not ready to help us on any count,” said an official.
A number of letters rogatory and deportation requests are pending with Canadian authorities but there has been no response, said sources.
A tableau ‘celebrating’ the assassination of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards went around the city of Brampton in Canada on June 4.
This parade was organised by Khalistani groups on the 39th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. The Government of India expressed strong disapproval and called this vote bank politics.
The Khalistani elements in Canada are not just restricted to protests but are allegedly carrying out attacks and perpetrating violence with many cases being investigated by Indian agencies.
The wanted accused sitting in Canada are masterminding killings and terror activities in Punjab and other parts of India, said the sources. They are executing these tasks with the help of gangsters in jails of Delhi and Punjab, they added.
Several requests from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for the extradition and deportation of terrorist operatives and pro-Khalistan elements are pending with the Canadian government but it is not ready to cooperate in any probes, said officials.
These accused are wanted in cases of terrorism, murder, and other related offences, they said.
Sources said one of the main requests is for Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) member Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa (originally from Tarn Taran in Punjab), for whom the agency has announced a reward of Rs 15 lakh.
A close associate of Landa was arrested for allegedly carrying out the Rocket-Propelled Grenade attack on the Punjab police intelligence headquarters in Mohali in May 2022. Deepak was involved in multiple cases of violent terrorist and criminal offences, including killings.
Landa’s aide Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla is also based in Canada and is linked to the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). Dalla was designated an “individual terrorist” by the ministry of home affairs on January 9.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar — a “designated” terrorist having connections with the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) — was gunned down by two assailants in Surrey on June 18.
In February, the NIA arrested six persons related to terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler nexus cases, including Dalla’s associate Lucky Khokhar, a resident of Bhatinda (Punjab).
He had provided arms and ammunition to Dalla’s men in Punjab. The weapons were used to kill one Paramjit Singh in Jagraon (Punjab) in January.
Another accused wanted by the agency is Canada-based Satwinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, who is wanted in the killing of Pradeep Kumar, a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, in Faridkot in November 2022. He also works for Landa.
No action is being taken against elements like SFJ’s United States-based chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who also makes attempts to create communal disharmony using social media platforms, said officials.
He was booked by the NIA in December 2020, along with Nijjar and Paramjit Singh Pamma who lives in the United Kingdom.
In response to a statement by the Canadian national security adviser, who had described India as one of the “top sources of foreign interference in Canada”, external affairs minister S Jaishankar recently said that if there was anyone who had a complaint, it was India.
Officials said the issue of Khalistani separatism is complex and sensitive, and Canada must tread carefully to avoid damaging its relationships with India and the Sikh community. The Canadian government must recognize that it has a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, both at home and abroad, they added.
Taking decisive action, Canada can break free from its Image as a Khalistani stomping ground and set an example for other countries facing similar challenges, intelligence officials said.
Justin Trudeau’s dilemma over Khalistani separatism is challenging, but it is also an opportunity for Canada to demonstrate its commitment to peace, security, and democracy, they said.
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