Sikh organization applauds expulsion of Indian diplomats from Canada

Published Oct 15, 2024  •  2 minute read

Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is pictured in his office on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in New York. Photo by Ted Shaffrey /AP Photo

OTTAWA — Canada’s bombshell announcement of the expulsion of top Indian diplomats for alleged links to the 2023 assassination of a prominent Canadian Sikh leader was welcomed by some stakeholders.

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Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, counsel for the U.S.-based group Sikhs for Justice, told the Toronto Sun he was pleased with the move, adding his group had provided the Prime Minister’s Office with information supporting the role high-ranking Indian diplomats allegedly played in enforcing foreign policy on Canadian soil.

“Canada’s decision to expel demonstrated the Trudeau government has an unwavering commitment to bring to justice all those who participated in the assassination of Canadian citizens on Canadian soil,” he said.

“The expulsion of the Indian diplomats is not the end of the road to justice. Canada knows, and we know, that they were involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”

Sikhs for Justice is the organization responsible for worldwide non-binding referendums on the creation of Khalistan — and independent Sikh homeland in India.

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On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said the RCMP, after “great consideration,” had gathered “ample, clear and concrete” evidence of the involvement of six Indian diplomats operating in Canada and ordered their expulsion.

In retaliation, India declared six Canadian diplomats persona non grata.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh described the allegations as “deeply disturbing.

“The RCMP basically painted a picture that a foreign government is engaging criminal elements in Canada to perpetrate violence against Canadians, including shooting at Canadians’ homes, killing Canadians, shooting at Canadian businesses, and shooting at Canadian communities,” he said.

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“This is a threat to anyone who lives in those communities, anyone that has family on those communities, kids playing in parks where those homes and businesses were shot at — this is serious.”

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Singh also went on a tangent about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre not receiving security clearance to see classified intelligence on foreign interference, implying Poilievre would be a patsy for the Narendra Modi administration if elected prime minister.

“I don’t want the Indian government, which is who the RCMP has implicated in this — and the Modi government specifically — to think they’ve got someone in Canada who’s willing to look the other way, to ignore what’s going on,” Singh said.

“We need to take an approach where we’re all on the same side.”

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A senior Conservative party source confirmed to the Toronto Sun that Poilievre was fully briefed on the situation Monday by the National Security and Intelligence Advisor.

In response, Conservative spokesperson Sebastian Skamski accused Singh of attempting to “distract” and “disinform” Canadians.

“Unlike others who are willing to limit their ability to hold the government to account on important issues of national security, Mr. Poilievre will not be gagged and left unable to speak or act on the information he may receive,” he said.

“If the government believes that there is further information that Mr. Poilievre needs to know, they can, through CSIS, utilize ‘threat reduction measures’ under section 12.1 of the CSIS Act, to make further information available in a manner that would not limit Mr. Poilievre’s ability to speak to Canadians.”

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