The Khalistan issue has always remained an irritant between India and Canada. Ties soured between the two countries when Justin Trudeau was the prime minister of Canada and he has been accused of being an open Khalistan backer.
Trudeau even made reckless allegations against India following the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Post Trudeau's ouster, ties were reset and both nations agreed to work on the Khalistan issue.
A recent development which has the Khalistani elements worried is the visit to Canada by National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval. He held successful talks with Nathalie Drouin, Deputy Clerk and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister.
The outcome was very fruitful an official said, while adding that this resetting of ties will surely be a major headache for the Khalistani terrorists. They have used Canada as a base for long to launch attacks against India. From Canada, they have issued threats to the government of India.
Moreover all the masterminds of the targeted killings in Punjab are based in Canada. Further these elements have also been running drug cartels while facilitating the smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition into Punjab.
One of the highlights of the meeting between the NSAs was sharing of real-time Intelligence. The main focus would be the Khalistanis, the official said. He also said that this sharing of real time Intelligence would also cover drugs, cyber threats and Sikh extremism.
Another official said that this is probably one of the most constructive meetings in recent times. The Khalistan issue is really getting out of hand. Moreover this meeting comes at a time when the ISI has set in motion a major plan to revive the Khalistan movement in Punjab.
Recent Intelligence inputs have suggested that the ISI has readied an army of Khalistanis and is waiting to infiltrate them into Punjab. Moreover, the narcotics trade has shot up to fund this movement.
Currently a soft push is being made whereby posters of the Khalistan flag are being put up in remote places. Over a period of time, the ISI plans to lure the youth with cash to join the movement.
The meeting of the NSAs would derail these plans to a large extent, another official said. While the ISI runs the network, the largest command centre is in Canada, followed by the United Kingdom.
Another important aspect of this meeting was rebuilding trust. Trudeau's reckless allegation that India's Intelligence agencies were involved in the killing of Nijjar had led to a diplomatic stand off. Canada had never viewed the Khalistan issue as extremism. It let it thrive under the garb of free speech.
The Doval-Drouin meeting changes this aspect. Both sides have agreed that the Khalistan issue will be viewed as terrorism and organised crime and not free speech. This is a major development, the experts say.
India and Canada would share real-time information about these elements and this would make operations for these elements extremely hard.
NSA Doval raised the issue of fund raising by the Khalistanis. They have been raising funds in the name of charities and many Gurdwaras in Canada have been used for that.
He further spoke about the need to cooperate on breaking the narco cartels as the proceeds raised from this trade are funding the Khalistani movement. India has been able to convince Canada about the dangers the movement poses not jut to India, but Ottawa as well.
The Khalistanis have been vocal online and have used social media platforms to push their agenda. They have also used discreet methods to push their agenda. With cooperation and real-time Intelligence sharing these activities would come down drastically, officials say.
The Khalistani elements have sensed these developments and hence were hunting for newer countries such as Italy and Germany. These moves would be very hard since it would involve dismantling the network in Canada that it has set over the last several decades.
The NSA meet took place at a time when Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney prepares for a visit to India in March. During his visit and meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ties would be further cemented between the two nations.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the headache for the Khalistanis begins now. He however warned that these elements would attempt a misadventure in Punjab and hence a high-alert and vigil has to be maintained.
(With inputs from IANS)
