Dal Khalsa writes letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney before his visit to India

 Dal Khalsa writes letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney before his visit to India

New Delhi, February 26 (Manpreet Singh Khalsa):- Dal Khalsa Political Secretary Bhai Kanwarpal Singh has written a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney before his visit to India, highlighting the concerns of the Sikh community. He wrote that you are starting your official visit to India from February 26. The Sikh world is looking forward to your visit in the hope of justice and a fair decision. I felt the need to write a letter to you because the leadership of the country with which you are coming to hold trade talks was held responsible by the Canadian Parliament and leadership for the murder of Sikh leader Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar. We have been somewhat relieved to read media reports and listen to interviews where your Foreign Minister, Ms. Anita Anand, has clearly stated that in the upcoming talks with her Indian counterpart, “while discussions on trade, energy, technology will be the focus of her visit to India, the discussions will also feature concerns over the rule of law, international repression and the activities of the Bishnoi gang.” When you raise these issues with your counterpart Narendra Modi in Delhi, it will reassure Sikhs that their rights – including the right to life – will not be sacrificed for business and financial deals. As you prepare to begin your journey in Canada, information has been shared about the threat to their lives by the Vancouver Police Department against Sikh Canadian Moninder Singh, the head of the Sikh Federation of Canada and an associate of Shaheed Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Sikhs believe this is the height of the threats to them since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in the Canadian Parliament, spoke of credible evidence of the involvement of Indian agents in international operations. With the sharp increase in the number of extortions, home invasions and death threats by gangsters operating under the patronage of Indian agencies, a sense of fear has arisen in the Sikh community in Canada. The expansion of Indian-origin gangsters into Canada has become a reality that your government has a responsibility to crack down on. We remind you that the primary responsibility of the government is to protect the Canadian people and maintain public confidence in the rule of law. The continued silence of governments can further harm communities that are already facing threats, extortion and violence associated with international interference. If the government decides to hide important information regarding the assassination plot, it will be considered a big mistake on the part of the government. It would be a grave mistake to consider economic ties with India above the safety of Canadian communities, which we caution you about.

Prosecutors have asked the court to withhold information related to the conspiracy in the Nijjar murder case, given the potential international repercussions, while Sikh organizations have objected to this and Sikh Canadians and justice seekers demand transparency and accountability.

The one-minute silence to mark the first anniversary of the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the Canadian Parliament on June 18, 2024 still rings in our ears, reminding Canadian leadership and us, including you, that justice is still far from his family and those whose right to free speech was challenged and trampled on. The Sikh world awaits full and complete justice in the case of the extrajudicial and international murder of Sikh Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18, 2023. While your visit has been defined as a trade and investment area, the Sikhs of Punjab would have been happy if your itinerary had also included a visit to the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar. We hope that your government will make efforts to address the concerns of the Sikh community representatives. We look forward to an era of strong, principled Sikh-Canadian relations.