Speaking on the anniversary of the June 23, 1985 Air India Flight 182 ‘Kanishka’ bombing, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it reminds of the “shared duty to condemn terror”. This was akin to a prostitute sermonizing virginity not only because Trudeau didn’t condemn terrorists behind the bombing but also because Canada is a haven for terrorists.  Home to every terrorist group in the world since 1998, how Canada nurtures and exports terrorism globally is aptly covered in the book ‘Cold Terror’ by Stewart Bell. Little wonder Canada even refused to hand over Noor Chowdhury who admitted being one of the killers of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in 1975.  

Trudeau has Khalistan supporters in his government and would go to any length for their votes. As they say, some wouldn’t mind auctioning the dead mother’s womb to buy a necklace for the harlot. India communicated details of terrorist activities of Hardeep Singh Nijjar to Canada in 2014 but received no response. Now Trudeau accuses India of killing Nijjar several months after Nijjar was killed by Pakistan’s ISI to take control of the narcotics trade. Was the ‘Five Eyes’ under maintenance in the intervening months or was Washington’s directive to Trudeau issued late?

Appearance of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) cadres at the anniversary event of the Kanishka bombing would have been organized by Trudeau’s administration. However, the grieving relatives shooed them away (https://x.com/BezirganMocha/status/1805127300041646233?t=wDCltRqVaXtLSDSKejPEZg&s=03).

Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland stumbled when questioned by a journalist why Nijjar, who was on the no-fly list and had his bank accounts frozen before his death, was being honoured with a tribute in the Canadian Parliament (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/canadian-deputy-pm-stumbles-over-question-on-canada-parliament-tribute-to-khalistani-separatist-nijjar/articleshow/111185954.cms?from=mdr).

Harbouring separatists

The United States and its Western allies (Australia, Canada and the UK) have been harbouring and 'encouraging' Sikh separatists; allowing them to attack Indians, threaten Indian diplomats, attack/set fire to Indian assets, and deface religious places.  Isn’t it because of America’s involvement in terrorism, assassinations, black ops and warmongering why the Pentagon for the sixth consecutive year has failed to account for $1.9 trillion of its $3.8 trillion in assets?

A Canadian inquiry commission implicated Canada-based Babbar Khalsa for bombing Kanishka and killing 329 people, mostly Indians, on board, pointing out a series of errors by the Canadian government, police and security intelligence service; but Canada’s follow up to punish those responsible was pathetic, including letting off the American-origin suspect scot free.

India’s nuclear test on May 18, 1974 at Pokhran was the first confirmed nuclear test outside the P5, which led to the formation of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to control proliferation. In fact, after India’s second nuclear test, the US imposed sanctions on India in 1998. The US always abhorred India’s nuclear program. In fact, America’s nuclear deal with India in 2005 was with full knowledge that nuclear-armed, jihadist-riddled and politically unstable Pakistan would also increase its nuclear stockpile (https://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/the-nuclear-hullabaloo/).

Stonewalling extradition

The US continues to stonewall extradition of Pakistani-origin Canadian Tahawwur Rana, charged in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to India. But the US continues to accuse India of plotting to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, head of SFJ, even as this 'CIA pet' is alive and kicking and keeps issuing threats to Air India and India. This is despite the US killing foreign nationals with impunity world over. Now The Guardian has said the CIA has a long history of helping to kill leaders around the world (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/05/cia-long-history-kill-leaders-around-the-world-north-korea).

 On a recent visit to India for the first annual review of the ‘Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET)’, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was closeted with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval for more than half an hour “without aides’”. Was this to twist the knife in India’s back on the alleged Pannun affair, pressuring India to curtail relations with Russia, deter Prime Minister Narendra Modi from attending the SCO Summit  at Astana, Kazakhstan on July 3-4, 2024, and making innocuous suggestions that could lead to an India-China war, to America’s advantage? 

India must demand an international probe into the conspiracy to bomb Kanishka to expose and justifiably punish the actors involved. It is but natural that the US and Canada will avoid involvement using all possible means but that should not matter.   

(The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views are personal)