How Trudeau turned Canada into naya Pakistan for India

Imran Khan, as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, promised to create a “naya Pakistan” (new Pakistan). From his jail cell, he can have the cold comfort that a new Pakistan has emerged, albeit on the American continent. Harbouring wanted terrorists, resorting to unwarranted blame games, and playing vote-bank politics detrimental to its own country’s security, Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shown all the hallmarks of Pakistan. And with Monday’s recalling of the Indian envoy, and expulsion of Canadian envoys, New Delhi has officially put Canada in the same bracket as Pakistan.
“Canada has become the new Pakistan for India,” Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, observed during a panel discussion on India Today TV. Sareen was referring to the tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomatic staff by India and Pakistan and the harbouring of terrorists by the Islamic country.
That Canada under Justin Trudeau has emerged as the new Pakistan has been echoed by several commentators, including Michael Kugelman, Abhijit Iyer-Mitra and Amish Tripathi.
India-Canada ties nosedived last September when the Trudeau government accused Indian government agents of having played a role in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist. Nijjar was shot dead in the parking lot of a gurdwara in Canada’s Surrey in June 2023.
It has been a year, but Canada has only heaped accusation upon accusation on India in the Nijjar case without providing any material evidence. India has time and again requested concrete evidence.
On October 14, Canada made matters worse by naming Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a ‘person of interest’ in its probe into Nijjar’s killing.
India’s note recalling the envoy and expelling six diplomats was rare in its sharp tone.
“Today’s external affairs ministry statement is absolutely blistering. It conveys the full force of New Delhi’s anger with Canada on the Khalistan issue,” Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute Director of The Wilson Centre think tank, wrote on X.
“One can argue that at this moment, India has worse diplomatic relations with Canada than it does with Pakistan,” Kugelman noted.
However, much before the Nijjar case, India was calling out the Justin Trudeau government for pandering to the Khalistanis in the name of “freedom of speech”. Those Khalistanis have taken out processions with floats depicting the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, and have issued death threats to Indians and people of Indian-origin.
Like Pakistan became a haven for terrorists wanted by India, in the same way, anti-India elements have found a safe space in Trudeau’s Canada.
At least nine Khalistani terror groups have bases in Canada and despite multiple deportation requests, Ottawa has taken no action against even those involved in heinous crimes, news agency PTI reported in September last year, quoting officials in New Delhi.
Those criminals include Goldy Brar, an associate of Lawrence Bishnoi, involved in the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Khalistani outfits like the World Sikh Organisation (WSO), Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) were operating freely from Canadian soil.
Eight individuals involved in terror activities and as many gangsters, who have been working with Pakistan’s notorious spy agency ISI, have been sheltered by Canada, the officials told PTI.
“Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship. Multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organised crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in its statement on October 14.
“The language being used for Canada is similar to what is used by the Indian MEA for Pakistan… Canadians should know, that your government is importing terrorists and extremists, while India wants them extradited to face justice,” author-commentator Amish Tripathi wrote on X.
Pakistan has been using Kashmir as a political issue to sway its voters. It kept stoking the separatist fire in Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to appease Pakistanis, while its economy crashed, and it lagged in most socio-economic parameters.
It is a similar compulsion that has made Trudeau go soft on the anti-India Khalistani elements. He is eyeing the votes of the Sikhs, a politically influential community, as Canada readies to hold its general election in 2025.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said multiple times that Justin Trudeau’s “vote bank politics” was behind Canada giving a free run to the Khalistani elements. On Tuesday, India again blamed the Trudeau government for “smearing” India as part of its vote bank politics.
Trudeau was running his coalition government with the help of the New Democratic Party (NDP), which is led by Jagmeet Singh, a known Khalistani sympathiser.
“That his government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-a-vis India, only aggravated matters,” MEA said, referring to Jagmeet Singh and his NDP.
Sikhs are over 2% of Canada’s population, and the north American country is home to the largest number of Sikhs outside of India.
The MEA also pointed out that the Trudeau Cabinet had individuals who “openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India”.
The last country that India engaged in a diplomatic spat with and resorted to recalling-expelling diplomats was Pakistan.
After the 2019 Pulwama attacks, India downgraded its diplomatic relationship with Pakistan.
By recalling its envoy and expelling six Canadian diplomats, India has given the same status to Canada. The MEA note too pointed to how ties with Canada had degenerated.
“Extraordinarily harsh response to Canada by the MEA. I’ve literally never seen language like this used for anyone – not even Pakistan. Congrats Justin Trudeau, you’re literally in a category lower than corrupt third world tinpot dictators,” posted Abhijit Iyer-Mitra on X.
It was during the prime ministership of Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau’s father, that Canada ignored extradition requests and intel from India and witnessed the Air India Kanishka bombing.
On June 23, 1985, a bomb in two suitcases was set off on Air India Flight 182 (Kanishka), flying from Toronto to the UK’s London, killing all the 329 passengers on board. Most of those killed were Canadians and the Kanishka bombing remains the worst terrorist attack in Canada’s history.
Like Pakistan is harvesting violence in its country after providing a safe haven for terrorists, Canada too has an example right in its history.
“What the then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said to Pakistan, applies to Canada as well: ‘You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours.’ These snakes will bite you too, Canada. Get your government to stop,” author-commentator Amish Tripathi said.
Though Imran Khan might be happy with Canada emerging as “naya Pakistan”, but for a world gripped by wars and terrorism, one Pakistan is more than it can handle. However, Justin Trudeau is moving with his ambitious plan of turning Canada, a first-world country, into terror-plagued and loan-dependent Pakistan.