Why Canada risks joining Pakistan's dubious ranks by honouring a terrorist

Canada has indeed become the Pakistan of the West. On Tuesday, the Canadian Parliament shattered any semblance of civilised existence by observing a moment of silence in memory of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed a year ago. Nijjar, the leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force, was shot outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

Rather than acknowledging Nijjar as a terrorist, Ottawa has damaged its relations with India by accusing the Indian government of assassinating a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, without offering proof to support its claim. However, Canada has not only provided sanctuary to thousands of Khalistani terrorists but also given them roles in the government.

Is harbouring terrorists not state-sponsored terrorism? How is this different from what Pakistan does? Canada has now ‘officially’ forfeited its right to speak against terror. It has become a perpetrator itself.

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Just days ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time since Trudeau publicly accused India’s government of involvement in the assassination of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In a recent interview, Prime Minister Trudeau said that the countries “need to work on as democracies…. on some very serious issues around national security and keeping Canadians safe.”

Who are the Canadians he is referring to? Khalistani terrorists? Instead of combating terror, he is providing a home to individuals who are entirely consumed by it. Why does the Prime Minister continue to ignore terrorists right under his nose? Because they vote for him?

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Why Canada is now similar to Pakistan

Several militant groups have received support from Pakistan. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), founded in the late 1980s, has carried out numerous attacks in India including the 2008 Mumbai attacks with connections to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), another group operating in Jammu and Kashmir, has been implicated in several high-profile attacks in India such as the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack. The Haqqani Network, operating mainly in Afghanistan, has been involved in numerous attacks against NATO and Afghan forces and is believed to have received support from the ISI.

In a Congressional report on terrorism in October 2021, the US said that Pakistan is home to at least 12 groups designated as ‘foreign terrorist organisations’, including five of them being India-centric like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

LeT was officially labelled a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) in 2001. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) attributed to LeT the 2008 Mumbai attacks, among other significant attacks. The CRS report mentioned that JeM, alongside LeT, was involved in the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and other assaults.

The Harakat-ul Jihad Islami (HUJI) was established in 1980 in Afghanistan with the goal of fighting the Soviet forces. It was designated as an FTO in 2010. After 1989, HUJI redirected its activities towards India, though it continued to support the Afghan Taliban. The report indicated that HUJI operates in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, with the objective of integrating Kashmir into Pakistan. Harakat-ul-Mujahideen was designated as an FTO in 1997 and primarily operates from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and certain Pakistani cities.

The Hizb-ul Mujahideen, founded in 1989 and reportedly the militant arm of Pakistan’s largest Islamist political party, received its FTO designation in 2017. It is noted as one of the oldest and most significant militant organisations active in Jammu and Kashmir.

The CRS reported that according to the US State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2019, Pakistan had continued to provide a safe haven for certain regionally focused terrorist groups. It further stated that Pakistan had allowed groups targeting Afghanistan, as well as those targeting India, to operate from its territory.

Isn’t Canada doing the same by providing safe haven to Khalistani terrorists.

With so-called ‘respect’ to Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian government has officially made him the Burhan Wani of a non-existent Khalistan.

Who was Burhan Wani?

Burhan Wani was a prominent militant commander of the Hizb-ul Mujahideen, had become widely known for his social media presence, where he posted pictures and videos calling for armed resistance against India. His ability to use social media effectively made him a symbolic figure for many young Kashmiris and he was often seen as the face of the new wave of militancy in the region.

Wani’s death on July 8, 2016, in an encounter with Indian security forces sparked widespread protests and violence across Kashmir. The aftermath of his killing led to a prolonged period of unrest, with numerous clashes between protesters and security forces, resulting in significant casualties and injuries.

For Pakistan, Wani is a ‘martyr’ but for the rest of the world he is a terrorist. Canada would do well to introspect in which category it wants Nijjar to be.

Skewed ’national security’

The ’national security’ dimension should not be biased in favour of Canada at the expense of India. In a bid to safeguard Prime Minister Trudeau’s politically precarious position, he is fostering a fabricated sense of threat from Indian intelligence agencies, similar to Pakistan’s tactics when unidentified gunmen target terrorists.