Pressure on Canada to remove Khalistan drive as terror threat

The most surprising thing is making Sikhs part of it, specially the language used

RUBY SAHOTA, Liberal Party MP

TORONTO: The Canadian government is under increasing pressure from various groups to not just rework the term “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” that was used in the 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada, but to remove the entire section.

A senior Canadian politician, requesting anonymity, said, “There is a lot of pressure rescind, not just rephrase.”

Khalistani extremism had been included in the annual report for the first time since its inception in 2013. This comes as powerful groups within the Sikh community in Canada appear to have warned ministers and MPS of the Sikh faith of repercussions during the 2019 Federal elections in October if such corrective measures were not undertaken.

Ralph Goodale, Canada's minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, who released the report, has already offered to have the Sikh reference excised from the report.

Ministers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Cabinet have also raised the matter and also questioned the basis on which the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Center came to the conclusion that Khalistani extremism posed an internal threat to Canada.

In the reference to Khalistani extremism, the report stated, “Some individuals in Canada continue to support Sikh (Khalistani) extremist ideologies and movements.”

It mentioned that violent activities in support of Khalistan had “fallen since their height during the 1982-1993 period when individuals and groups conducted numerous terrorist attacks.” It referred to the 1985 terrorist bombing of Air India flight 182, the Kanishka,which claimed 331 lives and described it as “the deadliest terrorist plot ever launched in Canada.”

Liberal Party MP Ruby Sahota said ministers like Harjit Sajjan and Navdeep Bains had raised the issue with Goodale.