The Nijjar factor

THE Hardeep Singh Nijjar case continues to define and undermine India-Canada relations, with the Canadian Parliament marking the first anniversary of his murder with a moment of silence in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The bilateral relationship has been in freefall ever since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped a bombshell in September last year, claiming that the alleged role of Indian government agents in the Nijjar case was being probed. The radical Sikh leader, who had been designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 last year. New Delhi has been pressing Ottawa to furnish concrete evidence of an ‘Indian hand’, even as the Canadian police have arrested four Indian nationals in connection with the killing.

In a sharp response to the commemoration of Nijjar’s death, India’s Consulate General in Vancouver evoked memories of the June 23, 1985, Kanishka bombing, while asserting that India stood at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and was working closely with all nations to tackle this global threat. The message to Canada was crystal clear: don’t give pro-Khalistan elements a platform to target India.

After his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Italy, Trudeau said that there was an ‘alignment’ between the two nations on several ‘big issues’ and he saw an opportunity to engage with the new Indian government. This was seen as a significant step forward. However, the Canadian PM has taken two steps backwards by letting domestic political considerations worsen his country’s relationship with an old ally. This is a perilous course being pursued by the Canadian government. The relentless appeasement of radicals will not only do irreparable damage to India-Canada ties but also put a question mark over the Maple Country’s commitment to fighting terrorism and extremism.