Canada: Group to counter Khalistan propaganda

NEWDELHI: Leading Indo-Canadians have formed a group to counter propaganda perpetuated by pro-Khalistan elements in Canada and mailed a letter to elected representatives across the country, putting forward “the facts” about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and how India’s judicial system has addressed the carnage in the years that followed.

The objective of the Harmony Committee, formed in December, is to take “nationwide action to state the facts concerning Sikh riots aimed at bringing harmony in the community”.

“The aim is to check divisive politics,” said Azad Kaushik, a professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario province and the chair of the group.

The letter outlining these facts has been dispatched to all members of Canada’s Parliament and to members of provincial assemblies across the country.

“Many people would plead ignorance on this matter, so we want to put the facts straight. We have to deal with this issue now,” Kaushik said. Other than the letter, the group has created a website for greater public access to the details they have placed before the politicians.

The letter points out that a sitting Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, himself a Sikh, had offered an apology on the issue in Parliament. It also gives details of the commissions of inquiry that examined the violence.