Canada’s Khalistan crackdown pressures ISI-backed networks, agencies warn of Punjab misadventure

New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) The Canadian agencies are making it extremely hard for pro-Khalistan elements to operate on their soil, with a lot of action against such elements following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney.

The two leaders also held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi during which the issue relating to the pro-Khalistan elements came up.

Since the meeting, there have been a slew of measures undertaken by the Canadian authorities which have reduced Khalistani extremism largely.

A new anti-hate bill was passed by the Canadian government, and this will have a major impact on the Khalistani elements.

Further, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said that the June 23, 1985, bombing of the Air India Kanishka Flight 182 was the handiwork of Canada-based Khalistani extremists.

An Indian official said that these are important developments which will frustrate the Khalistani elements, who, for a long time, have had a free run in Canada.

The CSIS report is important since the agency has not, in recent years, directly blamed the Khalistani elements for the bombing in such clear and explicit terms. The official said that following the meeting between the two Prime Ministers, not only has action been taken in Canada, but the country has realised that these elements are dangerous not just to India but to Canada as well.

Previous governments in Canada were soft on these elements and always let it go, citing freedom of expression. The new government, however, realises that the violence has been spreading on the streets of Canada, which is causing a law and order problem. Further, these elements are using Canadian soil to carry out subversive activities in India. In addition to planning terror acts, these elements have vandalised Hindu temples in Canada. There has been anti-India graffiti scribbled on these temples, and these issues have been raised in the past by India, too.

To counter this, the Canadian government passed the Combating Hate Act (Bill C-9), and the same is set to come into effect on July 18. An official said that this Bill will bar the Khalistani elements from protesting outside temples. It would come as a major relief for the Hindu community whose sentiments have been hurt due to Khalistani elements protesting outside the temples.

Devotees have also complained that images of terrorists are posted outside the temples and anti-India and anti-Modi slogans are scribbled on the walls.

“As hate continues to rise in Canada, communities have been calling for stronger protections against hate crimes. Those protections are now law. We’ve seen synagogues struck by gunfire, places of worship vandalised or burned, and people being targeted in their own communities. That is unacceptable. We cannot allow that kind of hate to become normal in Canada. These changes will help people worship and gather safely in their own communities, while supporting law enforcement with clearer tools to respond,” Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Sean Fraser, had said after the bill was passed.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the cooperation between India and Canada on this issue is clearly having its effects in Pakistan. The ISI is frustrated over this new relationship that is hurting their plans to take the Khalistan issue forward. In recent months, outfits such as the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), which has been tasked with launching operations in Punjab, have come under severe pressure from the ISI.

The official says that while the fight against the Khalistan movement is witnessing a lot of success, one must be cautious about the desperation that is setting in. These elements, out of frustration and desperation, can indulge in some misadventure in Punjab, the official also added. Currently, there are low-intensity strikes, and this is also part of a strategy to keep the movement alive. However, this would not be enough for the ISI, and hence the BKI could attempt a major attack in Punjab or the neighbouring states, the Intelligence agencies warn.

–IANS

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