As the diplomatic standoff between India and Canada continues, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has for the first time acknowledged the presence of Khalistanis in his country. In an unexpected statement, Trudeau acknowledged the presence of a Khalistan support base within Canada, but quickly added that they do not represent the Sikh community as a whole. His comments came during Diwali celebrations at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Relations between India and Canada have deteriorated since the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia in June 2023. Trudeau’s allegation that India may have been involved in the murder caused a diplomatic stir that continues to rage. During his Diwali address, Trudeau said that although there are supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in Canada, they do not even represent all Hindu Canadians.
He said, “There are many supporters of Khalistan in Canada, but they do not represent the Sikh community as a whole. There are supporters of the Modi government in Canada, but they do not represent all Hindu Canadians as a whole.”
increasing tension
Earlier this week, protesters, some waving Khalistani flags, clashed with devotees at a temple in Brampton, Canada, throwing punches, swinging batons and disrupting a consular event attended by Indian citizens and Canadians alike. Had happened. In the video that quickly went viral on social media, protesters are seen assaulting worshipers outside the temple premises. The footage showed chaotic scenes of clashes, with people hitting each other with sticks as tensions escalated.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the violence and stressed that every Canadian has the right to practice their faith in peace. “The incidents of violence that occurred today at the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their religion freely and safely,” Trudeau wrote on “Thank you to Peel Regional Police for their prompt response to protect the community and investigate this incident.”
The Center expressed deep concern over the safety of Indian citizens in Canada, while unequivocally condemning the attack on the Hindu Sabha temple.
“We witnessed violent disruption by anti-India elements today (November 3) outside the consular camp organized along the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, near Toronto,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement. “We are also very concerned about the safety of applicants, including Indian nationals, on whose demand such programs are organised. Despite these efforts by anti-India elements, our Consulate was able to issue more than 1,000 life certificates Indian and Canadian applicants.”
No evidence, only intelligence
India has consistently rejected any link to the killing of Nijjar, a terrorist named by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and has accused Trudeau’s administration of promoting Khalistani supporters for political gains. The Trudeau government has accused India of involvement in Nijjar’s killing, a claim India vehemently denies.
India has described the allegations as politically motivated, pointing to Canada’s failure to address the rising tide of pro-Khalistan sentiment in the country. Following Nijjar’s death, Canadian police suggested that six Indian diplomats were involved in the plot, a claim which India immediately dismissed as “nonsense”. Despite several exchanges, including meetings at international forums such as the G20 summit, Canada has failed to provide any conclusive evidence linking India to the murder.
Last month, the Center issued a sharp response to Canada’s allegations, rejecting claims that India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, was a “person of interest” in Nijjar’s murder. India not only rejected the claims about Verma but also pointed out that despite repeated requests for evidence, Canada has failed to share any concrete evidence to prove its allegations.
In a shocking admission during a public inquiry in October, Trudeau acknowledged that Canada had no “hard evidentiary evidence” to support allegations linking Indian government agents to Nijjar’s murder in 2023. Speaking during a public inquiry into alleged foreign interference in Canada’s federal electoral processes and democratic institutions, Trudeau revealed that his claims about India’s involvement were based on intelligence rather than conclusive evidence.
“I was briefed on the fact that there was intelligence from Canada and possibly from the Five Eyes allies that made it quite clear, incredibly clear that India was involved… Indian government agents were involved in the assassination A Canadian on Canadian soil,” he said.
Trudeau said Canada had the option to make the allegations public during the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, but did not do so.
Recalling Canada’s exchange with India, Mr. Trudeau said, “Our response was, OK, that’s within your security agencies.” “At that time, it was mainly intelligence, not hard evidence. So we said, let’s work together and look at your security services.”
The Indian government has argued that Canada provides a safe haven for pro-Khalistan extremists and separatists who pose a threat to India’s security. New Delhi also said it had requested action against these elements, which Canada failed to take seriously.
