In the last few days propaganda is being run on various Canadian media outlets that Sikh groups oppose India and its regime and that the invitation extended by Prime Minister Carney of Canada to Prime Minister Modi of India to attend G7 meet should be rescinded.

Nothing can be far from truth except for a section of the Indian origin Sikh diaspora who identify themselves as supporters of a movement to break India and carve a separate religion based Sikh nation called Khalistan.

These people are a fringe community of the main diaspora and do not in any way represent the views of the entire Sikh community, what to talk about a larger Indo-Canadian community which is strongly in support of a unified India in its shape and form.

Also this fringe separatist movement which sprouted in India in the eighties by vested interests to claim religious and political space and led to a period of extreme violence ended in India by late eighties/early nineties and has no locus standii amongst Indians including in the state of Punjab, where it had found bearing earlier.

In fact the very state of Punjab in many elections thereafter in the last thirty five years has voted regularly and in large numbers and supported political party and regime which opposed the movement then and oppose it till date.

Khalistan as a movement for a separate Sikh nation has no relevance in India in general or the people of Punjab in particular.

Then why is it still used as tool to incite hate and create an anti-India and anti-Hindu sentiment here in Canada and USA?

Because it has enabled a militant, loud and bullying fringe of the Sikh community which has its clock mostly set to the eighties when they or their families fled India, to use and rule over the Sikh psyche in Canada/USA by their usual tools- fear and a threat of ex-communication from the community.

And that benefits them in controlling the large sum of donations and money that flows into the various religious and so-labelled social organizations which the Sikh diaspora regularly contributes too. The control of the Khalistani fringe in many Gurudwaras in Canada is now almost iron clad and just one visit to any Gurudwara can open your eyes to that with photographs and portraits of various terrorists who actually led various militant attacks against innocents and incited hate openly displayed and revered.

This Khalistani fringe regularly creates ruckus and noise at various India centric events, religious festivals and religious parades and in the last few years have got brazen enough to display violent acts carried out by them against Indian leaders as their proud heritage and also openly display posters and hoardings inciting future violencce with headlines like “ Kill India”.

What is absolutely disheartening and disturbing for the Indo-Canadian community is that various Canadian government establishments, both local as well as federal, have allowed such open display of violent acts and call for further violence to continue including at religious events in the name of free speech when it is clearly known that it will instill more fear and pain in the entire community.

These people carry swords and daggers openly at various events in the name of religious gear while the same is again to create an image of threat and aggression on the rest of the community. If you look at the larger Sikh community both here in Canada or in India, such carrying of arms is not an accepted practice for decades and is in fact only considered a sign or ultra-religious orthodoxy or one to create an image of power. And even if a small token Kirpan or dagger may be considered a part of religious gear, a full size dagger or a sword is never required to be worn and is nothing but a sign of intimidation to the others.

And before anyone thinks or argues that there call for arms or violence is only limited for activities in India and does not affect Canada, let me remind you that the gravest act of terror of Canada was carried out by Canadian Khalistanis in Canada itself on 23^rd June 1985 when an Air India flight from Canada to India was bombed and led to the death of 329 people with 268 being Canadian citizens. And before and thereafter too there have been many acts of violence and intimidation against activists who have opposed them on Canadian soil and threats and abuse is recurring even till date with activists targeted directly or indirectly through even agents from outside Canada as even  the writer has been on a few occasions.

The hardcore Khalistanis if not terrorist themselves, are definitely sympathizers and harbingers of terror in India and Canada and the definition of terror is not limited to physical violence but by creating a reign of terror over minds of people and community, which these people have successfully achieved.

Today amongst the Indo-Canadian diaspora, especially Sikhs, there is fear to speak out against the Khalistanis and even though in the last three years people have tried to speak out, yet for ordinary Canadians, silence is the chosen option.

As regards to Canadian politicians across the aisle, it has been taken in as an accepted assumption that supporting Khalistanis and their ideology is the ticket to “Sikh vote” and there is an overt and covert support to their activities and an acceptance to their larger space in the Canadian political space.

This coming week, we mourn the deaths of victims of Kanishka Air India crash which happened exactly four decades ago and an absolutely botched up investigation by Canadian authorities which literally made the Khalistani perpetuators go scot free. The matter of indignation is that the same perpetuators are today revered figures amongst the Khalistanis and the same adds further to the grief and pain of the hundreds of Canadian victim families and their friends and supporters.

At least now, as a tribute to the victims, ensure that such hate is not allowed to be given space in Canada and that the Khalistanis and their agenda is nipped in the bud. Nothing will happen in India as India has moved away from the movement more than three decades back but it will only harm and disrupt the Indo-Canadian community here. While earning more money and power for the Khalistanis in the West which is their only motive.

Prime Minister Carney is absolutely right in inviting India to G7 as India represents  the will of  the  world not just in numbers but also in the way the growth that the  world and Canada envisages for itself.

The Sikhs and the Indo-Canadian community absolutely support this. Don’t let a bunch of goons and hateful Khalistanis bullying fringe affect the great future that the two nations of Canada and India can build together.