New Delhi: India has strongly taken up the issue with Canada of a so-called pro-Khalistan “referendum” there that will be carried out by a radical group on November 6 in the Canadian city of Toronto, with some online media reports even claiming on Sunday that a demarche was issued recently by New Delhi.
Government sources on Sunday did not specifically comment on whether a demarche was issued to Canada but confirmed that New Delhi had recently taken up the matter once again with Canada of anti-India activities taking place there. According to reports, the radical group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has announced that it will carry out the second phase of a referendum in Toronto on November 6 after carrying out the first phase last month at Brampton there. Canada had earlier conveyed to New Delhi that it supports India’s territorial integrity and does not recognise the referendum but has refused to stop the exercise, reading to diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa.
It may be recalled that the violent terrorist Khalistan movement that had aimed to break Punjab away from India in the 1980s and form a separate nation was finally crushed by the Punjab Police way back in 1994. However, a section of the Sikh Diaspora in Canada under the influence of radical groups has been attempting to revive the movement that is believed to have the tacit backing of Pakistan and its spy agency the ISI.
On Friday when asked about the plans of the radical SFJ group and the so-called referendum, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said, “ … There are some such developments, objectionable developments in Canada, it is very sad that such things are being allowed in a friendly country, we repeated this last time too. I think part two is saying this, we have obviously conveyed (at) different levels to the Canadian government.”
