As a run-up to the visit of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his family and cabinet colleagues, Sikhophobia has struck. Indian magazines, veteran columnists and the establishment have joined hands to give a thumbs-down to the visit, ostensibly because of his affinity for the Sikhs, justice and fair play. While the Maharaja of Punjab continues his perverted prevarication, Sikh political parties, social activists, Punjabi media, the Sikh Diaspora, the DSGMC and SGPC have responded as a mature nation.

When the Canadian first family descended from the aircraft in Delhi, with a typically Indian, folded-hands gesture, it was a remarkable sight. Whether it would please and cut ice with the pachydermous Indian media we will know in a week from now, as on the eve of the visit of the Canadian Prime Minister, the Indian media has been struck with Sikhophobia.

The Outlook magazine set the ball rolling on the Sikhs with an overdose of falsehood and fears in its special edition on the Justin Trudeau visit. With a bunch of articles and interviews, the magazine attempted to tell the country that Canada is supporting the Sikhs to let them gain their self-rule.  References and photos as old as 20-30 years were dug out and presented -old wine in a new bottle, with no mention that justice eludes the Sikhs on all fronts.

When reports came in that the Canadian entourage has perhaps decided to snub the Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, in retaliation to his snub to the Canadian Minister for National Defense Harjit Singh Sajjan, some months back, veteran columnist Shekhar Gupta could not bear it. He tweeted that the Indian government should cancel the visit of the Canadian Prime Minister. Not satisfied with that, he retweeted the absolutely-biased piece by Chitleen K. Sethi of his portal www.theprint.in. The article almost mentions that one of the ministers -Amarjit Sohi -actually tortured by the Punjab police is perhaps still someone to fear. His team is also justifying India’s low key response.

“Reiterating their demand for the right to self-determination of the people of Punjab, the political party Dal Khalsa has unequivocally welcomed the Canadian Prime minister, his family and delegation to the Punjab and also expressed gratitude for the respectful status of the Sikh people in Canada.”

Zee News twisted facts about how the visiting dignitary will be welcomed in the Punjab -instead of welcoming with Sikh flags, they said black flags for one full day, until at the end of the day, the Dal Khalsa Spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh clarified on the matter.

The Indian Express could not resist joining the bandwagon. Editorially it commended the family-filled sojourn of the first family of Canada with a Wah Trudeau comment. However Contributing Editor on Foreign Affairs C Raja Mohan, among other diatribes says, “Trudeau’s team has been sending conflicting signals even after he landed in India on Saturday.” What are those signals? No details have been provided. He further says, “It is indeed tragic that India-Canada relations have become a political hostage to the Khalistan question.” With Sikh participation at an all time high with one candidate running for the post of the Prime Minister next year, make no mistake that if India continues to be so obsessed with what Canada does to Sikhs, political and diplomatic relations between the two countries will seize to be bilateral. The Sikh question will always make it tripartite. The earlier this realisation dawns the better it is for justice. It is concerning that even the Indian Express has so far not attempted to look at the question from the Sikh perspective.

Former Indian ambassador to Iran, K. C. Singh, writing in the wire.in has also raised unfounded fears only because the Liberal party has won with overwhelming Sikh support. He got it all wrong to say that a private member’s bill was passed to label the 1984 massacre of the Sikhs as “genocide”. No such bill was introduced in the Canadian parliament, such a bill was passed after MPP Harinder Kaur Malhi introduced it and got it cleared in the Provincial Parliament of Ontario. If further says that ..”there is bad blood between Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and the Sikh ministers, because, apparently at their insistence he was denied a visa on the “grounds that Canadian laws did not permit foreign politicians to make partisan appeals in Canada.” According to information available with the WSN, Amarinder Singh was never denied a visa, he himself chose not to go to Canada and then blew it up out of proportion.

However, K C Singh rightly calls India’s fears exaggerated and asks what steps has the Indian foreign ministry done to address Sikh Diaspora concerns.

It is heartening to see that Sikhs have responded as a nation.  Kanwarpal Singh of the Dal Khalsa lambasted the Outlook issue and sent in a befitting rejoinder. Thankfully, Outlook showed that they have slightly risen above yellow journalism and published his rejoinder in full.  In a note circulated in the social media and sent to the visiting dignitary through email, Kanwarpal Singh says,  “Your visit to Punjab and India has evinced great interest. Unlike visits of other leading dignitaries, the Indian media, on cue from the Indian state, is in the overdrive to embarrass you on the basis of imagined fears, lies, subterfuge..”

Reiterating their demand for the right to self-determination of the people of Punjab, the political party Dal Khalsa has unequivocally welcomed the Canadian Prime minister, his family and delegation to the Punjab and also expressed gratitude for the respectful status of the Sikh people in Canada. In his rejoinder to the Outlook stories, the Dal Khalsa has laid down the case of the people of Punjab.

“WSO President Mukhbir Singh said, “We are confident that Prime Minister Trudeau will defend the reputation of Canada’s Sikhs and in the absence of any actual evidence, will reject allegations of rising radicalism. The Sikh community in Canada is incredibly engaged in every facet of Canadian life, and there is nothing to indicate any rise in radicalism..””

Rejecting all allegations in the Indian media about “rising Sikh radicalism in Canada, The World Sikh Organization of Canada has questioned the same with facts, saying, “Allegations of “Sikh radicalism” are not supported by actual facts and are used as a euphemism for speech that India finds disagreeable. Indian officials have repeatedly categorized legitimate activities of Sikh political activists in Canada in support of human rights or a separate Sikh state, as radicalism, and have resorted to labelling speech they find offensive as ‘extremism’”

WSO President Mukhbir Singh said, “We are confident that Prime Minister Trudeau will defend the reputation of Canada’s Sikhs and in the absence of any actual evidence, will reject allegations of rising radicalism.  The Sikh community in Canada is incredibly engaged in every facet of Canadian life, and there is nothing to indicate any rise in radicalism..”

Amandeep Sandhu in his sharp reaction to Shekhar Gupta half-baked tweets says in Punjab Today “The bigger shame is that Shekhar Gupta and the senior journalist know the nuances of Panjab’s politics. They know the reasons for the demand of Khalistan. They know that the state has addressed none of those reasons.” Well, I think that many in the Indian media with all the intellect at their command do not understand the Sikh hypothesis and those who perhaps do, want to rubbish it by brushing it under the carpet.

Chastising Outlook for the manner in which the whole issue of Outlook was angled, Kanwarpal Singh said,“By carrying the photo of Canadian PM Mr Justin Trudeau on the cover page with the title Khalistan-2 (Made in Canada), the magazine has offended the political sensibilities of Canada -a Commonwealth friend of India and started a fresh tirade against the Sikh Diaspora which as part of the Sikh nation has been making the right move on Canadian soil, raising human rights concern and endorsing the call for the right to self-determination.”

Like the NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who has strongly debunked the Indian phobia with the Sikh Canadian ministers and also called a spade a spade by standing for the rights of Sikhs, the Dal Khalsa response is hard-hitting and direct. “The Sikhs settled in Canada, UK, Europe and elsewhere need no certification or clearance to stand up for the rights of the Sikhs in Punjab, suffering under the jackboots of Indian hegemony.  They are well within their social and political rights to lend voice to the true destiny of the Sikhs and to highlight human rights abuses in the Punjab.”

Offering a comprehensive explanation, he further says, “Who are these Sikhs? India perceives all Diaspora Sikhs supporting the right to self-determination as agents of their respective countries, out to create mischief in India.  Contrary to it, the reality is that they are Punjabi-born Sikhs, who have migrated to foreign countries and who want to see their homeland Punjab free from exploitation, human rights abuses and India’s political stranglehold.”

Understandably, India is miffed with the stellar and lead role of Sikhs in the Trudeau cabinet. Furthermore, with the Sikh Canadian diaspora deciding to keep Indian diplomats at bay for their interference in Sikh affairs, India is facing growing embarrassment at Sikh hands in the West. Justifying this, Kanwarpal Singh says, “…diplomats, bureaucrats and leaders have been debarred from doing any type of activity from Gurdwara premises due to their mean, malicious and ill-intentioned campaign against Sikh activists..”

Spelling out his futuristic view for the Sikhs, the Dal Khalsa ideologue says, “Ever since the Sikhs lost their self-rule in 1859, they have been longing to regain it…. at heart, the Sikh Spirit is free. This free spirit will continue to seek support, assistance and even recognition for their right to self-determination from the United Nations, the international community including Canada, notwithstanding Indian propaganda.

“Who are these Sikhs? India perceives all Diaspora Sikhs supporting the right to self-determination as agents of their respective countries, out to create mischief in India.  Contrary to it, the reality is that they are Punjabi-born Sikhs, who have migrated to foreign countries and who want to see their homeland Punjab free from exploitation, human rights abuses and India’s political stranglehold.”

None of the magazines, columnists and government spokespersons has bothered to report or narrate what the Sikh ministers have said, what bothers Sikh Canadians and why do Sikhs believe that their status in their homeland has reached its nadir.  

The seasoned response from Sikh Canadians, Sikh ministers in the Canadian cabinet, Canadian diplomats in New Delhi and Ottawa convinces the Sikhs of a functioning democracy with full play of multiculturalism, the rule of law and freedom of speech. The Indian media certainly needs research their facts, understand the Sikhs and listen to the voice of their soul not just of the mind and the powers that be.

Simranjit Singh Mann-led Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar has welcomed the visit of the Canadian Prime Minister.  Sikh leaders of the DSGMC have welcomed the Canadian Parliamentary delegation with dignity and grace and I am sure that the SGPC will leave no stone unturned to make the visit to Darbar Sahib Amritsar of the Canadian Prime Minister, his family, his cabinet colleagues, a memorable one.

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Like it or lump it, Indo-Canadian relations will remain Indo-Canadian-Sikh relations for a long time to come.