Weary of increased foreign interference in the wake of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, the World Sikh Organisation of Canada has urged their government not to succumb to Indian pressure and phobia about Sikhs upholding their civil and political rights and not to compromise human rights at the altar of economic partnership with India or any other country.

The tussle between economic growth and respect for human rights has travelled from India to Canada through India’s phobia of Sikh rights advocacy in the country which is gradually becoming a second home for Sikhs and Punjabis.

The Indo-Pacific Strategy of Canada is aimed at expanding the horizons of opportunity for Canada in this 40-country forum. Canada’s strategic consideration is that “The Indo-Pacific is rapidly becoming the global centre of economic dynamism and strategic challenge. Every issue that matters to Canadians—including our national security, economic prosperity, respect for international law, democratic values, public health, protecting our environment, the rights of women and girls and human rights—will be shaped by the relationships Canada and its allies and partners have with Indo-Pacific countries.”

With this in mind, the government of Canada 27 November 2022 launched the Indo-Pacific strategy which is intended to increase engagement in the region and includes an investment of $2.3 billion over the next five years.

Canada-based World Sikh Organisation, in a statement, has acknowledged that increased trade and engagement in the Indo-Pacific is an important goal. Still, it has also cautioned that such an engagement cannot come at the expense of basic human rights and freedoms.

The WSO statement reads that “Sikhs in Canada are weary of increased interference and coercion by India aimed at marginalising and silencing Sikh advocacy.”

Soon after the announcement of Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy, India’s newly appointed High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, said “Canada must crack down on “segments of the Sikh community in Canada [that] are offering support and money to secessionists who want to separate Punjab from India.”

This is “blatant interference” in Canadian affairs and India has always been wary of such interference by other countries in Indian affairs. And this is nothing new.

Indo-Canadian bilateral meetings have become an opportunity for Indian authorities to raise the bogey of “pro-Khalistan radicalism”.

The WSO statement explains the concept by saying, “Khalistan refers to a sovereign state governed in accordance with Sikh principles and values. Khalistan is a construct understood in different ways and is a source of robust discourse and debate amongst Sikhs worldwide. Discussion or promotion of Khalistan falls within recognized freedoms of expression and political discourse.”

The fear psychosis of India has reached its peak as “India has repeatedly tried to pressure Canada to silence Sikh advocacy and have used tactics such as the continued suspension of E-Visas for Canadian citizens wishing to visit India, despite the E-Visa system being available to other countries such as the USA, France and Mexico. Wait times for Canadian citizens applying for Indian Visas are currently four to six weeks. Ten-year visas previously issued to Canadian citizens also remain suspended, despite having been restored for citizens of most other countries,” alleges WSO.

Despite the fact that Sikhs follow a particular approach which falls within Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, India’s High Commissioner to Canada has continued to insist that India will “talk about the illegality of such processes, the illegality of such movements based out of the geography of Canada.”

“It needs to be restated that even during the Indian Farmer protests that took place in the fall of 2021, in an official diplomatic note obtained by the WSO through a freedom of information request to the Peel District School Board, the Consulate General of India urged Ontario’s Office of International Relations and Protocol to investigate dialogue about the ongoing protest of predominantly Sikh farmers in India and stop teachers in the Greater Toronto Area from giving lessons on these protests. The Indian consulate claimed such material could threaten relations between India and Canada.”

Canada will seek new opportunities to partner and engage in dialogue in areas of common interest and values, including security, and the promotion of democracy, pluralism and human rights.”

“India has used every bilateral meeting between Canada and India over the past decade as an opportunity to malign and marginalize Sikhs in Canada.”

Tejinder Singh Sidhu, President, World Sikh Organisation of Canada

Making a scathing attack on the Indian attempt to exert pressure on Canada, WSO President Tejinder Singh Sidhu said, “India has used every bilateral meeting between Canada and India over the past decade as an opportunity to malign and marginalize Sikhs in Canada. This has included the promotion of false narratives such as allegations of rising extremism in the community and now, the funding of the secessionist movement in Punjab by Canadian Sikhs. No actual evidence has ever been provided by India to substantiate these claims. They are intended solely to create suspicion and marginalize the Sikh community in the Canadian mainstream.”

In a strong note to the Canadian political leadership, WSO has categorically stated that “Rather than allowing India to bully voices in Canada critical of its deteriorating human rights record and the plight of minorities in the country, Canada must press India for accountability and demand that it meet its human rights obligations in accordance with international law.”

“India must be told in no uncertain terms that it cannot interfere in the activities of Canadian Sikhs in Canada. While it may disagree with those who advocate for issues such as Khalistan, such expression is protected by the Canadian Charter and India has no business attempting to interfere in that right.”