India’s Terrorist Extradition Requests Ignored by Canada: Officials

New Delhi:

At least nine separatist organizations supporting terrorist groups have their bases in Canada and, despite multiple demands for expulsion, Ottawa has taken no action against those involved in heinous crimes, including the murder of famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala , officials said.

Pro-Khalistani groups such as the World Sikh Organization (WSO), Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), working at the behest of Pakistan, have reportedly been operating freely since Canada. ground, they said.

The allegations leveled against India by Canadian authorities and politicians regarding the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan terrorist and Canadian citizen, are incorrect and based on unsubstantiated assumptions, they added.

The issue of expulsions of wanted terrorists and gangsters was raised by Indian authorities during multiple diplomatic and security negotiations, but Canadian authorities remained evasive and brazenly supported these terrorist elements, the officials said.

Several files were forwarded to the Canadian side, but requests for expulsion from India remained unanswered, they said, adding that at least nine separatist organizations supporting terrorist groups have found their bases in Canada.

Eight individuals involved in terrorist activities and as many gangsters, who conspired with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI, have taken refuge in Canada, officials said.

Requests to deport these people – including Gurwant Singh, who was involved in terrorist activities in the early 1990s – have been pending with Canadian authorities for years, they said. An Interpol Red Corner Notice is also pending against him.

Officials said Indian authorities requested the deportation of Gurpreet Singh, also involved in terrorism cases, and provided his address in Canada, but no action was taken.

They said the demand for deportation of dreaded gangsters, including Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla, wanted in 16 criminal cases, Satinderjit Singh Brar alias Goldy Brar, who took responsibility for the murder of famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, had been presented with evidence against them, but no action was taken by the Canadian government.

The separatist organization is openly making assassination threats, fueling the separatist agenda and carrying out targeted killings in India, they said.

They pointed out that the high-profile assassination of popular singer Sidhu Moose Wala by the Canada-based gangster affiliated with pro-Khalistan elements “is a classic example”.

The other wanted terrorists based in Canada are Gurwant Singh Bath of Dashmesh Khalistan Regiment, Bhagat Singh Brar (son of Pakistani terrorist Lakhbeer Singh Rhode), Moninder Singh Bual and Satinder Pal Singh Gill, they said.

Nijjar, who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh, was born in Punjab on November 10, 1977 and was affiliated with the now-banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). He was arrested in the mid-1990s. He managed to secure bail and fled India on 19 February 1997 by assuming the false identity of Ravi Sharma and obtaining a travel document in that name.

In 2013-14, Nijjar visited Pakistan where he met Jagtar Singh Tara of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), wanted for the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. During this time he was enlisted by the ISI who helped him run secret training camps for Sikh extremist groups associated with the Khalistan movement in Missigen Hills, British Columbia.

Nijjar, designated as a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry, was also accused of working closely with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) led by Jagtar Singh Tara. He was associated with Dal Khalsa leader Gajender Singh, one of the main accused in the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in 1981.

His name was included in the most wanted list given by the then Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2018.

Nijjar and criminals like Arsh Dalla were generating huge sums of money for anti-India activities through various means, including drug money and Gurdwara finances, the officials said.

They said the current diplomatic standoff between Canada and India appears to be driven by failures on the domestic political front and the current government’s declining popularity and that the expulsion of an Indian diplomat appears aimed at securing support from the Sikh population, especially those who harbor pro-Khalistan sentiments. .

Officials also emphasized that support for extremist elements and gangsters in Canada is deeply linked to political realities that influence the vote bank in various Sikh-majority ridings.

They highlighted the role of Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal, MP for Burnaby South, a member of the New Democratic Party of Canada, who was a strong supporter of the Khalistan referendum which seeks a balkanization of India and fuels separatist sentiments among Sikhs Canadians.

Dhaliwal had already been blacklisted for his anti-India activities.

Officials said Canadian authorities had failed to point to any direct association of Indian authorities with Nijjar’s killing and pointed to the other killing of another Canadian citizen, Ripudaman Malik, who faced the anger of Nijjar and Sikh for justice for the impression of Shri Guru. Granth Sahib by the Satnam Religious Prachaar Society (SRPS). A few days later, he was killed by unidentified gunmen.

Officials said Nijjar’s killing was the result of internal rivalry between different groups.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)