Has India killed a Sikh activist in Canada? | Inside Story
Summary
TLDRThe killing of a Sikh activist in Canada has sparked a diplomatic crisis between India and Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused Indian agents of a potential link to the murder, a claim India vehemently denies. This has led to the expulsion of diplomats and raised concerns over the impact on trade and defense cooperation. The situation also highlights issues of religious minority treatment in India and the influence of the Sikh diaspora in Canadian politics, complicating Canada's relations with India and its stance within the international community.
Takeaways
- đ The killing of a Sikh activist in Canada has led to a diplomatic rift between India and Canada, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggesting India's potential involvement.
- đł India has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them absurd, and has retaliated by expelling a Canadian diplomat.
- đ Canadian security agencies are investigating credible allegations of a link between the Indian government and the killing, which has heightened tensions.
- đ€ The incident has raised questions about the treatment of religious minorities in India and the global implications of such actions.
- đ Relations between India and Canada were already strained, with Prime Minister Modi accusing Canada of harboring Sikh separatists at the G20 Summit.
- đïž The controversy could affect cooperation on trade and defense between the two countries, potentially derailing ongoing partnerships.
- đ The situation highlights the geopolitical challenges faced by countries with significant diaspora populations and the influence they can have on international relations.
- đŁïž The debate underscores the complexities of balancing domestic political considerations with international diplomacy and security.
- đ The incident brings to light the historical tensions between India and Sikh separatist movements, with a history of violence and extremism.
- âïž The discussion points to the need for careful diplomacy and potentially increased transparency in the handling of such sensitive international issues.
Q & A
What is the main issue that has caused a diplomatic rift between India and Canada?
-The main issue is the killing of a Sikh activist in British Columbia, Canada, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggesting India's possible involvement, which India has vehemently denied.
How has India responded to the allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau?
-India has reacted with fury, calling the allegations absurd and has expelled a Canadian diplomat in retaliation.
What is the significance of the Sikh community in Canada?
-Canada has one of the largest Sikh diaspora communities in the world, and they play a significant role in Canadian politics and society.
What is the 'Khalistan' movement mentioned in the script?
-The 'Khalistan' movement is a Sikh separatist movement that seeks to create an independent Sikh state called Khalistan, primarily advocated by some Sikhs in the diaspora.
How has the relationship between India and Canada been affected by this incident?
-The relationship has been severely strained, with both countries expelling each other's diplomats and cooperation on trade and defense potentially being jeopardized.
What is the stance of the Indian government regarding the 'Khalistan' movement and Sikh militancy?
-The Indian government views the 'Khalistan' movement and Sikh militancy as serious threats and has been vocal about its concerns, especially regarding the activities of Sikh extremists abroad.
What is the role of the Canadian intelligence agencies in this situation?
-Canadian intelligence agencies are investigating credible allegations of a potential link between the Indian government and the killing of the Sikh activist.
How have other countries reacted to the escalating tensions between India and Canada?
-Other countries, particularly those in the 'Five Eyes' intelligence alliance, have been cautious and have urged further investigation into the matter, while also focusing on strengthening ties with India as a counterweight to China.
What are the geopolitical implications of the India-Canada confrontation?
-The confrontation could affect global strategies, especially those related to the Indo-Pacific region and efforts to counterbalance China's influence.
What is the historical context of Sikh activism and extremism in Canada as mentioned in the script?
-Sikh activism and extremism in Canada have a long history, with incidents such as the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985, which killed 329 people, being a significant event.
How does the script suggest the Canadian government should handle the situation with India?
-The script implies that the Canadian government should be more transparent about the evidence it has, handle the situation with caution, and avoid escalating the matter publicly.
Outlines
đ Diplomatic Tensions Rise Between India and Canada
The killing of a Sikh activist in Canada has led to a diplomatic rift between India and Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused Indian agents of a potential link to the murder, a claim India vehemently denies. This has resulted in the expulsion of diplomats from both sides, and there are concerns that it could affect trade and defense cooperation. The incident has also brought to light the issue of religious minorities in India and the treatment of Sikh separatists, with Trudeau defending freedom of expression against Modi's accusations of Canada harboring Sikh separatists.
đą Trudeau's Public Allegation Sparks Indian Fury
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's public statement in the House of Commons about credible allegations of Indian government involvement in the killing of a Sikh activist has been met with outrage from India. India has called the allegations absurd and has retaliated by expelling a Canadian diplomat. The situation has escalated diplomatic tensions, with India advising its citizens to exercise caution when visiting Canada due to perceived anti-India activities. The incident underscores the complexities of the relationship between the two countries and the challenges in managing such disputes.
đ Geopolitical Implications of the India-Canada Confrontation
The growing rift between India and Canada has broader geopolitical implications, especially considering the involvement of the Sikh diaspora and the history of Sikh extremism. Canada is home to a significant Sikh population, and the political dynamics within the country, including the influence of Sikh politicians, play a role in shaping the relationship. The incident could potentially affect Canada's strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, which aims to counterbalance China's influence, as India is a key partner in this strategy. The confrontation also raises questions about how Canada and its allies will navigate relations with India moving forward.
đ The Impact of Sikh Militancy on International Relations
The assassination of Indian diplomats and the rise of Sikh militancy abroad have been a long-standing concern for India. The recent attacks on Indian diplomatic missions and the historical context of Sikh extremism are highlighted, emphasizing India's struggle with managing this international threat. The conversation points to the potential for Sikh militants based in Canada to carry out acts of terrorism in other Western countries, thus making it an issue of international security rather than just a bilateral concern between India and Canada.
đïž India's Domestic Challenges and International Image
The discussion addresses the accusations of rising conservative Hindu nationalism in India under Prime Minister Modi's leadership and its impact on religious minorities. It contrasts the polarized political environment in India with the robustness of its democracy, suggesting that while there are concerns, the situation is not as dire as critics claim. The focus is also on India's historical concerns about Sikh terrorism and its efforts to manage this threat without resorting to authoritarian measures, such as assassinating dissidents abroad.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄSikh activist
đĄDiplomatic Rift
đĄJustin Trudeau
đĄNew Delhi
đĄTrade and Defense Cooperation
đĄReligious Minorities
đĄKhalistan
đĄHindu Nationalism
đĄG20 Summit
đĄFreedom of Expression
Highlights
Sikh activist killed in Canada leads to diplomatic rift with India.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accuses Indian government of involvement in the killing.
India denies allegations, calling them absurd, and expels a Canadian diplomat.
Canadian security agencies investigate potential links between Indian government and the killing.
Trudeau's statement suggests a potential link without definitive evidence, leaving room for interpretation.
India's reaction indicates fury and a sense of provocation from Trudeau's allegations.
The incident may affect cooperation on trade and defense between India and Canada.
Canadian Sikh community calls for justice and accuses Indian government of involvement.
Strained relations between India and Canada discussed at the G20 Summit.
Criticism of Modi's government for treatment of religious minorities and rise of Hindu nationalism.
Concerns about discrimination and targeted attacks on Sikhs in India and abroad.
Diplomatic fallout threatens to derail strategic partnerships and shared interests.
Sikh diaspora in Canada plays a significant role in Canadian politics.
Geopolitical consequences of the India-Canada confrontation analyzed.
The impact of domestic politics on international relations, particularly Trudeau's minority government.
The history of Sikh militancy and its influence on India's foreign relations.
The plight of religious minorities in India and the global attention it has garnered.
The potential for the situation to escalate into international security concerns.
Transcripts
Sikh activists have been operating for
years outside India now one has been
killed in Canada prime minister Justin
Trudeau accuses New Delhi of triggering
tension between the two countries so can
it be contained and what does this tell
us about the plight of religious
minorities in India this is Inside Story
[Music]
hello and welcome to the program I'm
Muhammad the killing of a Sikh activist
in British Columbia has opened up a
diplomatic Rift between India and Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
says India may have been involved a
charge New Delhi is calling absurd both
sides have expelled each other's
diplomats and cooperation on trade and
defense could be in Jeopardy we'll go to
our panel in just a few moments but
first Fenton Monahan has this report
Sikhs in Canada are calling for justice
that's after one of their Community
leaders was killed by gunmen in June
they accused the Indian government of
being involved now Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau appears to have
confirmed some of their suspicions
over the past number of weeks Canadian
security agencies have been actively
pursuing credible allegations of a
potential link
between agents of the government of
India and the killing of a Canadian
citizen Hardeep Singh nijar Canada has
already expelled an Indian Diplomat a
sign that believes the allegations are
credible
but in India protesters have denounced
Trudeau the government has denied any
involvement and expelled a Canadian
Diplomat in retaliation
relations were already strained at the
G20 Summit in New Delhi over a week ago
prime minister Narendra Modi accused
Canada of harboring and encouraging Sikh
separatists
Trudeau said Canada would always defend
freedom of expression
modi's Hindu nationalist government has
frequently been criticized for its
treatment of religious minorities
the U.S state Department recently called
on Canada to address growing incidents
of discrimination and targeted attacks
the killing of Hardeep Singh nijar has
caused a diplomatic Rift that may prove
difficult to bridge
and threatens to derail cooperation
between the countries on trade and
defense
Vincent Mullen for Inside Story
joining me now are our guests in Ottawa
is Gary Keller vice president at
strategy Corps a government relations
and geopolitical advisory he is also
former Chief of Staff to the Canadian
foreign minister
in Birmingham is Steve Hewitt associate
professor at University of Birmingham
he's working on a book detailing the
history of terrorism and
counter-terrorism in Canada
and a New Delhi is Brahma Cellini
professor of strategic studies at the
center for policy research he's former
advisor to India's National Security
Council a warm welcome to you all now we
should point out we had a spokesperson
from India's ruling BJP party schedule
to be on the program with us but they
pulled out before recording Gary let me
start with you today
um how extraordinary was it that this
allegation was made publicly by prime
minister Trudeau well very extraordinary
uh the news that was broken in the House
of Commons on Monday afternoon the House
of Commons has been on a summer break
for a number of months now and you know
Canadians thought that a large focus of
the Fall sitting of parliament is going
to be focused on the economy and within
about two hours of the House of Commons
returning prime minister Trudeau had
Trudeau had certainly blown that out of
the water with this this uh this quite
explosive news uh and providing almost
no uh heads up to the opposition parties
uh and it was uh certainly dominating
the headlines and it has dominated the
headlines in Canada for the past 48
hours and we'll continue to do so as
prime minister Trudeau is that the
United Nations General Assembly uh later
this week uh I am sure he's going to be
trying to court more support and I'm
sure we'll talk a little bit more about
that among the Allied countries uh
around this investigation but obviously
uh the murder of this uh uh the Sikh
activist and Canadian citizen made news
back a number of months ago when it
happened uh and now this is just even
blown Edge even further into the
Stratosphere in terms of what Canadians
are hearing and watching Gary let me
also ask you about the fact that when
you listen to the language used by prime
minister Trudeau in his statement he's
not really definitive he says that
Canadian intelligence are investigating
credible allegations uh he talks about
there being a potential link I want to
ask you um is he giving himself a little
bit of wiggle room on this
yeah you know any any political leader
will try to give themselves wiggle room
uh on something like this uh you know is
again very explosive uh allegation uh
and you know the it was interesting to
see the reaction of the opposition
parties especially the conservative
leader uh the leader of the official
opposition who immediately his first
reaction was you know yes we all have to
stand together against interference
encounters activities and foreign
interference has been a major Topic in
Canada Chinese interference in our
political uh elections uh that has been
a major topic and so this just adds fuel
to the fire but 24 hours later the
opposition leader was asking some more
appointed questions we need to see the
full we need to see the full evidence
out there why are these allegations
about Indian interference and Indian
activities made public when we've had
months and years of allegations of
Chinese interference not become public
uh and so I like to say this is a
dangerous inflection point for both the
government and the opposition Mr Trudeau
has to basically back up what he has
said uh and if there's any wiggle room
in that that is going to be very
dangerous for the government in terms of
its credibility on the same time the
opposition has to be very careful that
it doesn't overplay its hand it has the
right and a duty to ask difficult
questions in the House of Commons each
and every day but it can't be seen to be
trying to make political hay uh over a a
very serious situation like this Brahma
the Indian government has said that any
suggestion that it played a role in The
Killing of Hardeep Singh Najar is absurd
now aside from the initial statement by
the Canadian Prime Minister we also
heard from Justin Trudeau that he has
said that he's not trying to provoke
India after he made that accusation
um what is the reaction to those remarks
does India see this as a provocation
India's reacted with Fury
because
as you pointed out in the earlier
question
that what Trudeau was sitting in the
House of Commons on Monday was not about
Canadian security agencies finding
evidence of India's involvement in the
killing of this Sikh militant rather his
statement was about
allegations that he called credible
allegations about a potential India link
to the murder
but why would the prime minister of a
country
stand up and Parliament
and they will allegations against
another friendly country
when not a single suspect has been
arrested in the murder
so with no arrests let alone any
evidence
he stands up in Parliament and basically
Echoes the allegations of radical six in
Canada
who from the very first day
of The Killing
have helped India responsible
for the murder
Trudeau would have known that when he
made that statement in the House of
Commons
that this would
rapidly worsen relations with India
relations with India have been worsening
on Trudeau's watch
in recent years because Pluto's
government has turned a blind eye to the
increasing activities of radical Sikhs
in Canada the fact is that Trudeau has
political ties to Canadians sick
radicals he leads a minority government
that depends for its Survival on the
support of the new Democratic party
leader Jack meat Singh chatmeet Singh is
a Sikh by ethnicity by religion
but he's also in the past defended Sikh
militants that have been fighting for
creating a separate Sikh Homeland out of
carved out of India to be known as
kalistan as a lawyer has defended them
he's also participated in the events in
support of the kalistan movement so
given the domestic politics in Canada I
know that kudos
popularity ratings have sunk he's
trailing the leader of the opposition
maybe domestic political considerations
have played a part in Pluto's allegation
but he don't you don't
do what he has done knowing that this
word
let me ask you this you talk about the
fact that India is is furious by these
allegations
um from your perspective can this
growing Rift can it actually be
contained and and if so what has to
happen
what we're seeing now is a Don good
spiral in relations
each country has kicked out its top spy
and now they have been tit for attacked
travel advisories India for example
today advised Indians visiting Canada to
exercise caution because of
growing anti-india activity in Canada
and and and also politically condoned
violence in Canada
I think it's very important for Canada
and India
to stem this downward spiral in
relations because
Canada and India are not adversaries
these are friends
and I think that
it's easy to damage an important
relationship but rebuilding it would be
far more difficult so it's very
important both for Ottawa in New Delhi
not to escalate matters
they need to take things uh in a more
cautious in a more pragmatic way and
use pack Channel diplomacy rather than
carrying Grievances and suspicions and
allegations in public unfortunately the
ball is in Pluto's Court you know he he
has aired suspicions these allegations
is intelligence inputs we know and and
not a single suspect has been arrested
and this is a remarkable because the
murder happened
more than three months ago and if you
don't have a single suspect in custody
you obviously don't have any evidence
and so before you open your mouth in
public you should you should first think
of the Diplomatic consequences of what
you are saying
Steve let me ask you uh Canada has a
very sizable population of Sikhs how
does that change the Dynamics of this
growing Rift
yeah yeah I mean Canada has the largest
uh seat diasporic Community
um in the world
and there's a long history of seek
activism seek extremism uh seek
Canadians involved in in violence in
fact I was listening to discussion
thinking 40 years ago this similar
discussion was taking place including
with the Trudeau government not of
Justin Trudeau but of Pierre Trudeau so
you've got Sikhs who are as the previous
guest mentioned uh who are active in in
the liberal party uh the leader of the
new Democratic party as our previous
guest mentioned is to seek but the
deputy leader of the conservative party
is also the sake so you have Sikhs in
all three major parties and they play a
full role in the Canadian political
scene uh our upstanding citizens our in
large communities in British Columbia
and Ontario so I mean Canada is a very
obviously a very diverse very
Multicultural country and there are
diaspora communities from a number of
places in the world uh as there are in
the United States as there are in the
United Kingdom where I am right now
Steve let me also ask you how much
concern is there about the geopolitical
consequences of a growing India Canada
confrontation I mean in both the short
term and the long term
but this I think is really interesting
uh that Canada's main allies seem to be
very quiet on this issue because of
course this has come at a point where uh
the United States the United Kingdom are
trying to sort of pivot away from China
and build relations with India so in
some ways the Trudeau government is not
um sort of singing from the same song
sheet as its Ally so it will be
interesting to see how this plays out
over the next few weeks because India is
in a rather strong position given the
concerns about China uh including in
Canada as as the first guests mentioned
the issue of foreign interference has
been this big issue focused on China uh
and now it's obviously emerged in
relation to India Gary I saw you
reacting to some of what Steve was
saying there looked like you wanted to
jump in so please go ahead
yeah uh to Steve's point you know and
actually to the other a guest Point
Canada has long been seen by India to
have a problem on how it deals uh with
seek extreme extremism uh the
calisthenny question and in recent
months it is actually it Ebbs and flows
and and the issue around Palestine has
heated up as seeking extremists have
held what they call a referendum in
certain communities across Canada
calling for Independence for uh for uh a
Palestinian State
um and we know for a fact too that the
Modi government has tried to quietly
back channel uh with some of those
community members trying to Tamp down uh
those who might have been on the fence
and so I think the Modi government in
some ways thought that it was trying to
get a handle on the kalisani problem in
Canada like I say for for 40 50 years
the Indian government has has made uh
complaints about that and you know uh
the other issue that has been a huge
issue in India and India Canada
relations
those same extremists gurdwaras and
protests have seen uh posters uh calling
for the assassination of Indian
diplomats in Canada and we've seen that
security has been increased on the
Indian High Commission in Ottawa and
consulate generals across Canada so it
is it's a very serious uh issue that has
bubbled up over the last number of
months and this uh this killing back in
the spring summer uh again focused
attention even back then without this
without this other uh noise coming into
and into question so uh it is a it's a
Live question
um and it's also to Steve's point is a
political issue because in parts of
Canada uh you know the Surrey region of
Vancouver where there's four or five
seats for which go back and forth
between liberals new Democrats and
conservatives there's probably you know
eight to Fifteen seats in the greater
Toronto area that again flip around and
Mr Trudeau has a minority government uh
he he has the support of the new
Democrats on this
for his his minority government and as a
result these are very politically
important seats because if there's you
know 15 to 20 seats that are uh have a
sizable uh South Asian or Sikh
population that can make the difference
between a majority and minority
government in a lot of cases so very
very live issues in Canadian politics as
well I think not the politicians are
thinking about the news first but that
that discussion is going to come later
um and uh and India does have a point
that Canada has been seen to be weak on
calisthenny activity and calisthenia
extremism in Canada Brahma to Gary's
Point uh let me ask you India has been
raising concerns about the Coliseum
Independence Movement not just with
Canada but with other countries as well
with our our sizable Sikh populations
like the UK and and Australia right
well exactly and and this year has been
particularly about in terms of sick
militancy abroad because the first
Indian High commission the embassy in
London was stoned by Sikh radicals they
entered the compound they pulled down
the Indian flag they know they hoisted
the Sikh kalistan flag and then a few
hours later in a copycat attack in San
Francisco on the Indian Consulate
Burton's storm that consulate and then
they followed it up a few days later
with an awesome attack they said they
set the front area of the consulate on
fire and then we have had a series of of
other attacks on Indian diplomatic
missions or Indian diplomats in uh in in
the atmosphere countries so these five
anglosphere countries are are the Hub of
Sikh militancy today because what's
interesting uh for your viewers is that
back in India among six in India there's
little or no support for the kalistan
demand
this command is only
only being only being exposed by a small
minority of six
living in Canada
in the U.S principally California
in the UK and Australia this is where
the kalistan demand is being advocated
it's an irony because even there even
even among the Sikh diaspora
those who are advocating for a separate
Sikh Homeland are only a tiny minority
of the Sikhs
but the problem is that you know when as
your previous speaker was talking about
the domestic political compulsions of
prime minister Trudeau when you have
those compulsions and you give a long
rope to seek militants in in your
country you encourage not only
anti-india activities you you you
actually
unintentionally encourage
terrorism and this is where you know
today it's about
India Canada relations at a time might
come
when Sikh militants based in Canada
carry out International acts of
terrorism in other Western countries we
don't want that to happen
that's a reason why it's not just about
India and Canada this is about
International Security
uh Steve I saw you uh reacting to a lot
of what Brahma was saying there it looks
like you wanted to jump in so go ahead
yeah yeah yeah I mean the worst act of
terrorism in Canadian history was the
bombing of Air India flight 182 in 1985.
uh 329 people killed 278 of them
Canadian citizens on a per capita basis
that's the equivalent of a 911 for
Canada carried out by seek extremists
operating in Canada but I feel like in
some ways your guest in India is making
the case as to why India might be
tempted to do exactly what they've been
accused of I mean there was long concern
that if Canada didn't do more in a sense
to crack down on
um Sikh activities and this again goes
back decades that India might be tempted
to and there's all kinds of evidence of
Indian intelligence agents operating in
Canada monitoring uh C communities but I
think this is going obviously one step
further uh if these allegations are true
and and escalating things uh Beyond
which something beyond the point that
the Canadian government and I think most
Canadians would find acceptable
Gary I saw you reacting as well so I'm
going to let you jump in but but I also
want to ask you um when we're talking
about these allegations and the
seriousness of it all I mean is there a
point with which the Canadian government
is going to start making any of the
evidence they say they have public
well that's a great question and uh when
we've been dealing with accusations of
Chinese interference in our political
elections the government's response to
date has been too sensitive
parliamentarians can't have access to
that we have to have a independent
inquiry and even they were fighting an
independent inquiry and only let a
former governor general take a look at
that information uh and so uh the onus
and the call even through that and now
into this is that okay you have to be
more transparent with Canadians about
these very serious allegations and even
Canada's national security advisor
testified before House of Commons
committee saying our default position is
secrecy our default position is not to
tell things and if you you want to see
things we have to be pushed into it and
and I think this is only going to lead
to that I just want to also touch on the
fact that and we started out on this is
this really you know if you thought that
Canadian Indian relations were cold
before uh they're in the cryogenic Deep
Freeze uh for the very short and
probably medium term as well uh you know
like I say the relationship has gone hot
and cold over the last 40 or 50 years it
really kind of went cold after 2015 when
Justin Trudeau focused a lot of his
foreign policy attention on China at the
expense of India obviously that
calculation changed in the wake of the
two Michaels and the menguan Joe case uh
and and this increasing Chinese
interference Trudeau was pushing a free
trade deal with China that's off the
table Canada 10 months ago launched its
so-called indo-pacific strategy which
was to act as a counterweight against
China in both foreign policy trade and
development issues but what do you do
now uh with an indo-pacific strategy
when the Indo part of that strategy is
basically gone and in the Deep Freeze
the next uh you know little while here
uh and probably for the length of this
Trudeau government you know you need if
you need to counterweight to China uh
it's not gonna that relationship's not
gonna work in Canada and and then we've
seen this reaction from both the United
States the UK some of our five eyes
Partners who are going well Canada you
should really investigate these these
this information and yes you know any
killing of a Canadian citizen is
horrible investigate that further
they're not coming out and just jumping
on the bandwagon because they understand
and and Joe Biden has made this a key
part of this foreign policy strategy a
political strategy to bring India closer
to the fold they had a very successful
G20 and Justin Trudeau was actually the
outlier at the G20 in terms of being
there and participating now we know why
because they had some very difficult
discussions over the course of that
conference uh Brahma I want to ask you
about the fact that since his election
in 2014 Prime Minister Modi has been
accused by many groups of overseeing a
rising tide of conservative Hindu
nationalism in India there are minority
groups in the countries that have raised
concerns about threats to their human
rights this issue has been see been
receiving wider Global attention after
three Pro kalistan activists died in
quick succession in different countries
earlier this year
um what does this say about the plight
of religious minorities in India
but first I think you have to keep in
mind that India has a very polarized
democracy
in fact it's in some respects more
polarized in the United States
but if you go back to the time when
Donald Trump was in the White House
you remember how Americans were accusing
Trump of undermining American democracy
of being a threat to American democracy
of of acting as a strong man
these are the kind of accusations that
critics of Modi heard like Modi so you
have to keep in mind that that
in a highly partisan political
environment
like in India where either you are pro
Modi or Auntie Modi you can't be neutral
if you're neutral then you are you know
you you are an outcast for both sides
so one of his accusations that are being
heard about what Modi is doing I like
what Trump was accused of
but just the way American democracy
survived from the trumps Trump's
presidency they knew democracy is robust
enough
to survive Modi there's nothing he has
done nothing in terms of changes in law
that affect the minorities
so one has to keep that in mind but but
coming back to the larger issue that you
know that you're discussing
the fact is that much before Modi even
entered politics
India has had deep concerns about the
operations of Indian region terrorists
from analosphere countries and those
Indian concerns go back to the 1980s
when an Indian Diplomat was murdered in
Birmingham in Britain and as the
previous guest mentioned a bomb
explosion downed an Air India flight
from Toronto killing all 329 people on
board
now assassinating dissidents abroad is
what authoritarian regimes do India has
never been accused of taking down
anyone on Western soil for example there
are more than 100 human designated
terrorists based in Pakistan that are
wanted in India
and yet India has put up with those
terrorists even though some of them are
wanted in India for for horrific attacks
such as the 2008 Mumbai Massacre Now by
by comparison
this chick radical who was gunned down
in Canada
is it an unknown figure in India he's
certainly not on India's list of most
Wanted terrorists so you have to ask
yourself that why would why would India
take down some obscure figure in Canada
even though he's a fugitive from Indian
law he he carried out some acts of
terrorism in India and he entered Canada
illegally illegally and he cried for
years to to become a citizen twice as
applications for Refugee status were
were rejected go ahead I'm so I'm sorry
to interrupt you but we have run out of
time so we're going to have to leave the
conversation there thanks so much to all
of our guests Gary Keller Steve Hewitt
and Brahma chalani
and thank you two for watching you can
see the program again anytime by
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