Chandigarh, 16 Oct, 2024 (Yes Punjab News)
The Sikhs within India and abroad are presently perturbed and anxiously looking for the truth and transparency amid the spate of allegations and counter-allegations between two countries with Canada openly accusing its counterpart that targeting of its Sikh citizens has been outsourced to the criminals associated with a gang while India has vehemently denied that, said Kendri Sri Guru Singh Sabha, a central body of Singh Sabha gurdwaras here today.
Sikh/Punjabi thinkers associated with the KSS said no doubt, India has rejected the Canadian allegations as “preposterous” but the arrest of eight persons in the Nijjar murder case of last June and the picking up of 22 people in violent and extortion cases in Canada by the police there and linking of the arrested ones with a gang has raised serious concern among the Sikhs.
The gang has already claimed the elimination of a popular singer in Punjab besides killing of some other prominent people from the minorities. The majority of the Canadian Sikhs are rooted in Punjab/India, got alarmed over the undemocratic/ unsavory developments in Canada which are bound to have serious implications for the Sikh minority in India too.
Bitter memories of the 1980s, they said, are still alive with the Sikhs in Punjab when they suffered grievously as rulers of the day resorted to fake encounters and created a battery of “CATS” from among the surrendered Sikh militants and used them for intimidation, rape, humiliation, and extra-judicial killings.
As there were several instances when “CATS” attacked their “handlers”, similarly the involvement of the gang criminals amounts playing with fire and is bound to prove counter-productive/ retaliatory in the long run.
We urge the Government that India being the largest democracy it should tackle its security concerns with Canada and other “Five Eyes Nations “including the US in transparent and mature diplomatic manners avoiding an adventurist/ hawkish approach.
It is a matter of concern that the US State Department has, too, openly supported the contentions of Canada and it also claimed to have foiled a plan of an “Indian agent” to assassinate a US citizen in America.
We call up leaders of diaspora Sikhs not get provoked and get tackle their grievances with sagacity, farsightedness and in democratic manners.
We also urge the democratic/ fair-minded Indians to oppose the Hindutva-inspired confrontationist diplomacy which has been tarnishing the country’s image abroad and inviting questions on Indian democratic credentials at the global high table.
Signatories to the joint statement are: Prof. Sham Singh (President), Senior journalists Jaspal Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh (Global Sikh Council), Surinder Singh Kishnpura and Rajwinder Singh Rahi.
