How Justin Trudeau's Government Prevented India's Outreach To Former Khalistan Proponents

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau-led Liberal government in Canada had in 2016 scuttled Indian outreach efforts to former Khalistan-supporters, according to a Canadian journalist.

In a column in the National Post, journalist Terry Glavin said that a backchannel reconciliation effort was going in 2015-16 between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and one-time proponents of Khalistan in Canada who were growing 'weary of agitating for a separate Sikh state in India that India’s Sikhs want nothing to do with'.

The outreach was reportedly launched by India in late 2015, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited London and met, among others, Jasdev Singh Rai, director of the Sikh Human Rights Group, who emerged as a key person for contacts with Sikh groups.

According to a Hindustan Times report, following his meeting with PM Modi in London, Rai, a British citizen, visited Canada and met former pro-Khalistan elements willing to engage in talks with New Delhi.

However, in late 2016, Rai was denied electronic travel authorisation (ETA) by Ottawa as he was once associated with the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), a banned terror group in Canada.

It is worth mentioning that before he was barred, Rai had travelled to Canada at least 25 times and kept the Security Intelligence Service of Canada informed about his contacts with Sikh groups.

"As a result, Rai and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Ram Madhav, could not go ahead with a planned meeting in Toronto with radical Sikh groups," Hindustan Times reported.

With Sikh groups unwilling to hold talks in Rai’s absence, there were no more meetings or discussions with the Indian government.

Pro-Khalistan groups such as Sikhs for Justice reportedly opposed the talks.

According to Terry, Rai facilitated the talks and met with the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service during several visits to Canada.

"But the Trudeau government bowed to a Khalistani-influenced group of gurudwara leaders," Terry wrote.

He added that Rai said at the time said that the Trudeau government “obstructed the peace dialogue process".