Amid growing diplomatic tensions between India and Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged New Delhi of being involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, Canadian MP Chandra Arya condemned ‘targetted attack’ at the Hindu community in the country and urged Hindu-Canadians to remain calm but vigilant. He pointed out the so-called referendum being conducted by pro-Khalistan group Sikh For Justice and said that its president Gurpatwant Singh Pannun asked members of Hindu community to leave Canada.
“The Khalistan movement leader is trying to provoke the Hindu-Canadians to react and divide the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada,” he said, adding that the vast majority of the Sikh community members in the country do not support the Khalistan movement.
The already simmering friction between India and Canada in matters related to pro-Khalistan movement and alleged interference in internal matters has grown further after Trudeau claimed that there are ‘potential link’ between Indian government agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan terrorist.
Notably, Chandra Arya is an Indo-Canadian leader who comes from the Liberal Party of Canada, the same party as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The leader also stated that this ‘direct attack’ on Hindu Canadians by the leader of the Canadian Khalistan movement is the further escalation of the recent attacks on Hindu temples and public celebration of the assassination of Hindu Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by ‘terrorists’. “Canada has high moral values and we fully uphold the rule of law,” he added.
He further alleged that Hindu-Canadians are considered soft targets as they keep a ‘low profile’. Arya als condemned the ‘glorification of terrorism’ and allowing hate crime in the name of ‘freedom of expression’.
“I can’t understand how the glorification of terrorism or a hate crime targeting a religious group is allowed in the name of freedom of speech and expression. There would be an outrage in Canada if a white supremacist attacked any group of racialized Canadians asking them to get out of our country. But apparently, this Khalistani leader can get away with this hate crime,” he said
