Khalistani Extremists,‘Low-Level’ Threat To Canada, Says Government Report, Sikh Community Outraged

While the main threat to Canada and its interests is posed by individuals or groups inspired by Sunni Islamist ideology and terror groups like Daesh or al-Qaida, Canada continues to face “low-level” threats from other forms of extremism posed by certain right-wing activists, Shia Islamist groups and Canada-based ‘Khalistani extremists’, according to a government report

The Canadian government has issued the 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada that clearly indicates that the biggest threat to Canada and its interests is posed by Daesh or al-Qaida and not as much by Khalistani extremists, Shia Islamist groups and other right-wing organisations’ modules active in the country.

“The risk of violence emanating from individuals inspired by such extremism--Shia Islamist groups, Khalistani activists and other right-wing organisations currently poses a lower threat to Canada than that of Daesh- or al-Qaida-inspired individuals or groups,” said the report.

Read The Full Report Here

The report indicates that certain groups or individuals keep supporting the Sikh movements for achieving their goal of creating an independent homeland for Sikhs in India.

Since 1985 Air India flight disaster, which left 331 passengers dead, the support to the extremist ideology, attacks and activities of the hardliners have since reduced considerably.

Realising this, the Canadian government has pruned the list of such banned terror organisations to just two--International Sikh Youth Federation and Babbar Khalsa International.

The report has sparked an outrage among the Canadian Sikh community with a number of Sikh groups urging the government to provide evidence in support of its claim made in the terror assessment report that the “Sikh extremism” was a real-time threat to Canada in the changed scenario.

“They have targeted the Liberal government saying rather than protecting Canadian Sikhs’ reputation and denying the baseless allegations, the Canadian government is capitulating to the Indian government to demand a crackdown on Sikh activists,” said a spokesperson of Mississagua-based largest gurdwara Ontario Khalsa Darbar.

Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for World Sikh Organisation of Canada, said there was nothing to suggest violence of any sort in Canada. Also, the British Columbia Gurdwaras’ Council and Ontario Gurdwaras’ Committee representing nearly three dozen gurdwaras, observed that the government’s allegations were irresponsible and these had maligned the image of the peace-loving community.

MEDIA RELEASE:

Public Safety Canada Terror Report Maligns Canadian Sikhshttps://t.co/mD9198Reif

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— WSO (@WorldSikhOrg) December 11, 2018

WSO President @mukhbir_ said today, “it is deeply disappointing to see the addition of imagined “Sikh extremism” to the 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada."

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— WSO (@WorldSikhOrg) December 11, 2018

"There is no explanation for this addition other than Public Safety Canada having tacitly accepted the false Indian rhetoric around rising extremism in the Sikh community."

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— WSO (@WorldSikhOrg) December 11, 2018

"Sikhs in Canada have repeatedly denied these allegations and no evidence has ever been provided to substantiate them.

Advocacy for Sikh human rights or Khalistan is not extremism and to suggest that it poses a danger to Canada is absolutely ludicrous."

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— WSO (@WorldSikhOrg) December 11, 2018

"Rather than defending the reputation of Canadian Sikhs and insisting that freedom of speech is a constitutional right, the Government of Canada has taken the route of appeasement- to the detriment of Sikhs in Canada."

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— WSO (@WorldSikhOrg) December 11, 2018

"Accepting Indian allegations of ‘Sikh extremism’ deeply maligns the reputation of the community and has a real impact on the everyday lives of Canadian Sikhs.”

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— WSO (@WorldSikhOrg) December 11, 2018