The “Wild West” is a popular terminology, with the same terminology used worldwide freely to create movies, television serials, fantasy/video games, music albums, documentary, sitcom, comics, and so on, during the last several decades. The terminology as such is believed to have been evolved on the situation and circumstances in terms of the geography, history, folklore and cultural traditions of the Western United States settlements from the early nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century, which was typically characterized by the lack of social order and rampant lawlessness among the European settlers, particularly in the territories west of the Mississippi River. Of course later on, the American society displayed a tremendous and collective progress in most areas of the social, economic and military parameters and became the superpower and most significant player among the leading nationalities of the world.
During the latter half of the twentieth century and now, the US became so powerful that they have influenced, shaped, and even led, many socio-political and economic changes and developments in the current world order. They, largely, along with their West European allies even successfully set agenda and narratives on various issues and developments across the globe. Notwithstanding, the erstwhile element of wildness, though gone, is still reflected in different forms and attributes. The US and their close allies have a tendency to be judgmental on what is right or wrong completely based on their own socio-political and economic interests. For instance, terrorism is relatively a new development which is threatening peace and harmony of nations in almost all parts of the world but even on terrorism, they follow double standards; one for own people, and the other for the rest of the world.
In the current piece, the author intends to discuss the said norms and double standards of the Western countries particularly in the Indian context, which is fast emerging as a global leader and an influential economy but, at the same time, is vulnerable and among the worst affected countries due to various terror organizations and outfits in the world. It would be very relevant if the same is analyzed with reference to a few specific developments in the recent past with implications in the global context:
Khalistan Movement in US and Canada
1. Hardeep Singh Nijjar Case
Born in Punjab province of India in October 1977, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a prominent Canadian Sikh separatist citizen involved in Khalistan Movement, and an absconder and designated terrorist by India owing to his close involvement with multile terror activities and incidents. Although, a few Sikhs organizations and their sympathizers treated him as human rights activist, the Indian government viewed him as a criminal and terrorist affiliated with the Khalistan Tiger Force, a militant and separatist organization seeking a separate Sikh state in the name of Khalistan, carved out of the Indian territories including Punjab and adjacent areas. Nijjar clandestinely migrated to Canada in February 1997 on a fraudulent passport and visa identified as ‘Ravi Sharma’ seeking a refugee status. According to reports, his claim was initially rejected by the Canadian authorities suspecting forgery, even his subsequent appeal was rejected, but later on he was granted Canadian citizenship following political intervention in 2007.
Reportedly, he worked initially for several years as a plumber in Canada but gained prominence after assuming the leadership of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Being a staunch advocate of Sikh separatism, he became associated with the “Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)” organization, which is known for spearheading separatist movement against India from the North America (US and Canada). Many readers may already be aware that the Sikhs for Justice is a US-based group of separatist Sikhs, currently headed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, which runs an unlawful movement about the secession of Punjab and some other territories from India, as Khalistan. It is formally banned in India since 2019 as an unlawful association working against the unity and integrity of India. Nijjar was shot dead by unknown masked attackers on bike in the parking lot of a Sikh Gurudwara in British Columbia on 18 June 2023.
The Canadian police appears to be clueless as they have not been able to apprehend or detain any suspect(s) even for questioning so far have not even after six months of his death. According to reports, Nijjar had a serious dispute with Ripudaman Singh Malik, a suspect over the involvement in the Air India Flight 182 bombing on 13 June 1985, who was later acquitted by the Canadian law. This Air India flight was operating on Air India Flight 182 operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi–Bombay route, destroyed by a bomb explosion on board carried out by the Canadian Sikh terrorists, wherein 329 people were killed comprising of an overwhelming majority of the Indian origin with Canadian citizenship. Initially, Malik and Nijjar had business partnership but later on the former even had a law suit against the latter in British Columbia; subsequently, Malik was murdered in July 2022 and some intelligence reports linked Nijjar with his death. Although the Canadian police has not revealed any suspects so for yet the possibility cannot be ruled out of a rivalry of two terrorist groups being the cause of murder.
The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau surprised the world when he made a statement in their Parliament on 18 September 2023 that the Canadian intelligence agencies were “pursuing credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and the assassination of Nijjar. The allegation was categorically denied by the External Affairs Ministry of the Indian government, stating that they are willing to cooperate and pursue any credible inputs offered by Canada in this regard. Soon a diplomatic spat started between the two countries when Canada expelled an Indian diplomat from the country, and in a tit-for-tat move India to reciprocated by expulsion of one Canadian diplomat from the country. After a few days, India asked Canada for a parity between the number of diplomatic staff between the two countries and remove their excess staff from New Delhi. The ongoing tensions between the two countries were visible even during the recently concluded G-20 Summit in New Delhi and adversely affected their ongoing trade talks.
The unsubstantiated allegations made by the Canadian Prime Minister seem to be primarily based on some input shared by the “Five Eyes”, an intelligence mechanism evolved and shared among the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. The fact is that even after six months, other than going public with allegations, the Canadian government has neither nailed any suspects nor been able to provide any credible evidence or inputs, publicly or discreetly, worth pursuing by the Indian government. On the contrary, the Indian government had requested Canada on many occasions for deportation of the alleged terrorist for prosecuting him under the Indian laws for the crimes committed. At the request of the Indian government, two Interpol red notices were also issued against NIjjar in 2014 and 2016.
He was wanted by the Indian police and law enforcement agencies for his involvement in a number of cases; to list a few, Shingaar cinema hall bomb blast in 2007 in Ludhiana, Punjab killing six people with many injured, a plot to transport illegal ammunition in India, conspiracy to kill Hindu leaders, running of Sikh terrorists training camp, multiple targeted killings, and many more. While Canada has not responded to Indian request made time and again not to allow anti-national activities against the country from the Canadian soil, their Prime Minister has reiterated that any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of their sovereignty. What an irony and double standards: while the Canadian laws provide for a harsh penalty in terms of incarceration and fine for the forgery and illegal immigration in violation of Canadian
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the country is willing to compromise its holistic relations with the world’s largest democracy for the unsubstantiated cause of a dreaded terrorist and proclaimed offender.
2. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun Case
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is one of the main players abroad connected with the secessionist Khalistan movement, which is aimed at a religion based independent state carved out of the Punjab state and several neighbouring areas of the present Indian nation. The Indian Sikhs predominantly resided in the undivided Punjab since the British times. After the partition of country in 1947, the major part of the Punjab province had gone to Pakistan and a large number of Sikhs and Hindus were slaughtered and forced to leave the newly created Islamic State of Pakistan. The most ironic and peculiar feature of Sikh extremists and secessionists is that they don’t even mention the erstwhile Punjab or the nemesis they had gone through (and still going) at the hands of Islamists in Pakistan; instead, many of them are now making a common cause with the Pakistani radicals and terrorists as well as establishment out to violate and destroy integrity and secular identity of the democratic India.
According to reports, Pannun is currently the legal advisor and spokesperson for the “Sikhs for Justice” that aims to promote the ideology and movement for an independent Sikh state. He was born and brought up in Khankot village in Amritsar, Punjab but now claims to be a duel citizen of the US and Canada. Pannun almost regularly indulges in seditious speeches against India and Hindus, often threatening the latter to leave the US and Canada. On many occasions, he has openly claimed responsibility for various terror incidents in India. Besides. He has been organizing events and rallies against India in different parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In April 2023 through a video message, he had even issued a threat to the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while he was visiting Assam in the northeast. More recently, Pannun warned the Indo-Canadian Hindus to leave Canada in September 2023 and issued a statement threatening to “shake the foundation” of the Parliament House in New Delhi on or before 13 December i.e., on 22nd anniversary of deadly militant attack in 2001. On the fateful day, two men indeed breached the Parliament security and caused scare through shouting slogans and creating a coloured smoke, for whom he has announced all possible legal assistance.
In India, at least twenty-two criminal cases are pending against the absconder Pannun, including three sedition cases in Punjab, India. The Government of India had declared Pannun a terrorist for his acts of sedition and secessionism in July 2020. Recently, a report was published in the UK newspaper Financial Times in November 2023 that the US authorities had “thwarted” a plot to kill Pannun in the United States, and the federal prosecutors had filed a sealed indictment against a suspect in a New York district court, simultaneously claiming that the US has also issue a demarche to India with concerns that the Indian government agencies may have a role in the plot. Although the issue did not flare up to the level of Indo-Canadian spat but it transpired later on that the US authorities indeed took up the case with India and that the latter assured to examine the US inputs stating the reported incident had security concern and bearing on India too.
Double Standards of Western Countries
Be it climate and environment protection, civil liberties, human rights, freedom of expression, social equity, religious freedom or terrorism impacting sovereignty and integrity, as in the resent case, many Western countries and more particularly the US, UK and Canada have clearly different outlook and double standards; one for themselves and close allies and the other for the rest of the world, more so for the developing countries. Although the author can substantiate this point with umpteen illustrations from different sectors but we are discussing here only the terrorism in the global contest; hence the author would briefly illustrate his point with citations of a few examples in the US and Canadian context.
1. US Invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan
The US forces, partially supported by the British, Australia and Poland, invaded Iraq in March 2003 with a resolve to destroy the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the alleged dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. During a month long war, Iraq was routed, Saddam Hussain was captured, tried and hanged. Iraq remained under occupation until the US military forces were finally withdrawn in 2011. Reportedly, there had been over 4,700 US and allied troops casualties during the period and more than one lakh Iraqi civilians were also killed. Over a period, the said WMD intelligence of the US and allied forces proved illusory leading to a violent insurgency and the war lost its public support even in involved Western countries. Even before the commencement of war, there were worldwide protests, including a rally of three million people in Rome alone, listed in the Guinness World Records as the largest-ever anti-war rally.
Before the commencement of war, the US had accused Iraq under its President Saddam Hussain of undertaking an ambitious programme for the production of the chemical, biological and atomic weapons posing a serious threat to the world peace. According to then US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the key objective of the war was “”to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction [WMD], to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people”. Earlier, the UN Inspection Team had found absolutely no evidence or existence of WMDs in Iraq. Later, Kofi Annan, the then United Nations Secretary-General called the invasion illegal under the international law stating that it was a breach of the UN Charter. Even during the nearly eight years of the occupation of Iraq under the allied forces, neither any trace of WMDs was found in Iraq nor any link of the alleged cooperation between Saddam Hussain and al Qaeda.
The aforesaid adventure was undertaken by the US and few close allies like UK and Australia disregarding popular world view, and strong reservations of the UN Secretary General and even close NATO and G7 allies such as France, Germany and Italy; and it poses several unanswered questions. If Saddam Hussain was a dictator and rogue ruler, and his regime was a serious threat to the world security and peace, where are those WMDs, or at least, facilities created for the purpose? During the eight years of subjugation and occupation of the country by the US armed forces, how come US could not produce such evidence to practically justify their war on Iraq largely disregarding the world opinion. After all, many experts of the world polity and economics have opined from time to time that the Middle East oil has enchanted global powers since early twentieth century and, even more particularly, it has been alluring the United States. One may find the following citation by an American historian and expert on the modern Middle East as vital quote of the former US President Jimmy Carter quite relevant in the context of Iraq war:
Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force. (from President’s State of Union address on 23 January 1980).
A similar US approach and action could be seen from the US intervention in Afghanistan which remained under their occupation and subjugation from 2001 to 2021. Shortly after the 11 September (2001) attacks, the US staged a multi-national invasion on Taliban-ruled Afghanistan with declared goal of dismantling al Qaeda and their patronizing Taliban regime. In this endeavor, though they successfully toppled Taliban but their pursuit of Osama bin Laden remained elusive, who was hunted down years later in Abbottabad cantonment in Pakistan. Incidentally, it is no long a secret now that in the earlier years the same Taliban and allied terror groups in the war torn country were promoted by the same Western countries using Pakistan as a conduit to curtail Russian influence by toppling the Soviet-friendly regime. Years later, when they resolved to quit Afghanistan, the same Taliban started a major offensive to retake the control of Afghanistan while American forces were still present. Notwithstanding the well-known nemesis of Afghanistan under the indoctrinated Taliban, particularly the plight of women, children, minority Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and so on, they exited from Afghanistan in a hurried and hush-hush way leaving behind a huge stockpile of deadly weapons, arms & ammunition.
2. Canadian Soft-pedaling on Separatists & Terrorists: A History Repeats
It won’t be exaggeration to state that under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, India-Canada relations seem to have hit absolute rock bottom with worst ever diplomatic spat in recent months. After Justin Trudeau made a statement in their parliament in September 2023 about the alleged involvement of Indian government agencies in Nijjar killing without substantiating it with any evidence, the bilateral relations started deteriorating with reactionary steps taken on both sides. Apparently, even a brief interaction between the two Prime Ministers on the sidelines of the G-20 summit could not salvage the situation. As of now, Canada has not rendered any worth pursuing evidence linking any India (Intelligence agency to Nijjar’s death. Apparently, whatever Canadian establishment is alleging is based on some inputs provided to Canada by the US intelligence sources, which may be only suggestive and inconclusive.
Even in Canada, political parties and people are divided over the accusation attaching blame to Indian agencies. For instance, the British Columbian Premier David Eby spoke in media that the “intelligence briefing” received by him from the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was based on open-source, Internet material while simultaneously expressing his own apprehensions that the federal government was holding back information. Even the Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre attached value to good relations with India and said in a media briefing that the prime minister needs to come clean with all the facts that they need to know all the evidence possible so that Canadians could make judgments on that. Notwithstanding all this, the Canadian Prime Minister has preferred to openly support Khalistani separatists/terrorists against India; he may have political compulsions, but while sticking to his guns, he is also repeating history in following his father’s footsteps on India-Canada relations.
Justin Trudeau belongs to a political family and his father Pierre Trudeau was prime minister in two stints during the 1970s and !980s and the family appears to have a history of siding with and shielding Khalistani separatists and terrorists posing threat to India’s sovereignty and integrity. Under the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during 1982, India had sought the extradition of the designated Babbar Khalsa (Khalistani) terrorist Talwinder Singh Parmar, an accused of the killing of police officers, which was refused by Pierre Trudeau. Reportedly, then Canada refused the extradition of the terrorist Talwinder Parmar, citing an excuse that ‘India did not recognize the British queen as head of state’. His adamant approach in shielding Parmar ultimately became a grievous cause of huge human tragedy when the Air India passenger plane Kanishka was bombed in 1985 and 329 people were killed in mid-air explosion near Ireland coast on Montreal – London sector.
Parmar was the head of the Khalistani terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa, terrorists of which had vowed to kill at least 50,000 Hindus, including Parmar’s threat that Indian planes would fall from the sky. Reportedly, the Canadian authorities had inkling of what Parmar was planning and even a police informer told them about the plan of planting a bomb on plane but the authorities didn’t take it seriously deeming the informer’s input as unreliable. It is widely believed that Talwinder Parmar and Inderjit Singh Reyat were masterminds while the act was actually executed by Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri. Even post-explosion, some of the key evidence was lost or destroyed, willingly or negligently. Consequently, the subsequent trial in the Kanishka bombing case ended up in acquittal of both accused on the grounds of the lack of evidence. The bombing of Air India Flight 182 (Kanishka) continues to be regarded as the worst terrorist attack in the Canadian history as also the deadliest aviation disaster in the Indian history of Air India. Later in 1992, the Indian police liquidated Parmar when he again sneaked into Punjab in India via Pakistan.
Justice John Major-led commission of inquiry in a report in 2010 put onus on the Canadian police and spy agencies for grave negligence and hampering the Kanishka investigation. He noted that the failure of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Canada’s spy agency, Canadian Security and Intelligence Services (CSIS) to prevent the bombing was “inexcusable”. A well-known Canadian journalist Terry Milewski, in his book “Blood for Blood’, wrote, “Canada can’t be compared to Pakistan as a springboard for Khalistani militants in the past forty years, but it has offered them the great advantage of a congenial legal and political environment…” Notwithstanding a violent and tragic history of Khalistani terrorist activities against India from the Canadian soil, the incumbent Prime Minister Trudeau and his administration continues to support of Khalistani elements justifying it as a peaceful freedom of expression and protecting own country’s sovereignty and integrity
.
Now, this vital issue of terrorism is not the standalone concern about the Canadian partisan approach under Justin Trudeau seriously impacting India. In 2020-21, when Prime Minister Modi led government introduced legislation on agriculture reforms in India, particularly keeping in view the interest and welfare of small and medium farmers, the same was opposed by the powerful lobby of large farmers and middlemen of mainly from Punjab, and some parts of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh. The agitation was soon hijacked by Khalistani and Kashmiri separatist elements, ultra-leftists and urban naxals, nearly rendering the national capital hostage and choked. Many protesters were seen openly moving and displaying posters of the slain Khalistani terrorist Bhindranwale with anti-national slogan-shouting and even a threat to kill Prime Minister Modi. Interested groups such as Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal, Canadian MP and well known Khalistan supporter through his links, about a-half dozen US Democrat Congressmen, and some MPs of the Labour Party in UK left no stone unturned to internationalise the issue. Some international celebrities like the American pop singer Rihanna, Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg and ex-porn star Mia Khalifa of Lebanese-American origin were also roped in by some of these elements.
Soon, Canada became the first democratic country officially intervening in India’s internal matter in favour of the agitation generating worldwide controversy, when the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a statement in a virtual address to the Sikh diaspora in Canada on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti on 30 November 2020:
“I would be remiss if I didn’t start by recognising the news coming from India about the protest by farmers. The situation is concerning. We are all very worried about family and friends. I know that’s a reality for many of you. Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest.”
Just a day before, Canada’s Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan had already expressed similar views with allegation that the peaceful protesters in India were being brutalized. Here the most significant and ironical part is that Canada is among the leading countries which have already implemented market driven agriculture reforms long back. Consequently, farming practices in Canada have dramatically changed in previous decades; the number of small farms have significantly declined with the larger intensive factory farms becoming the norm for the food production to meet country’s requirements. Notwithstanding, the Canadian prime minister personally chose to oppose the Indian reforms in farm laws which were mainly in favour of small and medium sized agriculturists. The ongoing bias and double standards against the present dispensation of India based on sectional and self-interests is clearly apparent from the aforesaid illustration.
Epilogue
The Western countries’ wild ways continue albeit in the forms of double standards and supreme self-interests. The US and Canada’s partisan attitude in dealing with international terrorism and terrorists does not need more evidence or justification with one set of rules or approach for self and another for the rest of the world. When the US spotted Osama bin Laden living in Abbottabad, Pakistan, they did not even bother to inform the Pakistani Premier about their secret mission and operation carried out on ground by the US navy Seals to liquidate their proclaimed enemy. Obviously, in their perspective, they took it as their right ignoring the question of the sovereignty and integrity of another nation. However, when it comes to designated terrorist Harpatwant Singh Pannun, despite his known crimes against India, including his open threat to the life of the Indian Prime Minister and Parliament, they not only proactively protect him for the sake of being an American citizen but also brazenly allow his anti-India activities in the name of freedom of expression and right to peaceful protest.
Canada’s long-lasting support for the Khalistani elements has been highlighted by the Indian diplomats, and personally taken up even by the Indian Prime Minister and External Affair Minister at occasions, through diplomatic channels, bilateral talks and other platforms. But the Prime Minister(s) of Canada not only personally supported cause of the Khalistani terrorists but also have now chosen to compromise the bilateral relations of two sovereign and democratic nations just for the sake of one terrorist, against whom the interpol had a red corner notice and Indian authorities had sought for extradition on multiple occasions. It’s an open secret that the Trudeau government is dependent on the support of Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party (NDP) for survival, and the latter is a vocal supporter of Khalistan, even linked to some militant Khalistanis. Whatever may be the reason or political compulsions, the international polity and bilateral relations of nations shall not be dictated by vested interests, and if done, it will ultimately harm the national interests of the erring country in the long run.
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