MOST justifiably, the international community must take a prompt action against those who are transgressors of humanity as manifested by the Modi government’s fascist act on the Canadian soil wherein the Indian RAW agents have been involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Niijar, an iconic leader of the Khalistan Movement in Canada. By any moral, legal and ethical standard, this act of criminality can, no longer, be tolerated. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s stance is duly upheld globally. The involvement of the Indian intelligence network—RAW in Canada, sufficiently serves as an eye opener to the international community as it strengthens the assertion of the Pakistani government vis-à-vis India’s sponsored acts of state terrorism.
The Canadian government is alleging that the Indian government agent is involved in the murderer of a prominent Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Niijar (June 18) — in the western-most province of British Columbia — where he harnessed his life for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland in the Punjab region of India. While addressing an emergency Parliament session on September 17, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.” Make no mistake, as an ardent advocate of the UN’s Charter (1948), Canada has been a consistently strong voice for the protection of human rights and the advancement of democratic values.
Baghat Singh Brar, Director of the Ontario Committee of Gurdwaras, says interference from the Indian government in Sikh affairs in Canada has been an ongoing concern. “…The Indian government has been interfering in our affairs in Canada since the 1980s,” he said. Whereas, the White House espouses the Canadian stance. “We believe a fully transparent comprehensive investigation is the right approach so that we can all know exactly what happened, and of course, we encourage India to cooperate with that,” John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council (NSC), said while speaking to CNN. As for Britain, It has also assured that it will be keeping an eye on the situation. Moreover, former Pakistani Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights, Mahinder Pal Singh, has urged the global community to take a firm stance like the Prime Minister of Canada on Indian state-sponsored terrorism. He also alleges the devious role of India’s RAW in sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan via the Afghan soil.
Threshold of international law? Simply put, this is not only a violation of Canadian sovereignty. This is a violation of international law and international norms enshrined in the UN Charter of Human Rights. “International criminal law, though not quite as comprehensively codified or as widely ratified by States as international human rights obligations, is relevant to the study and protection of international human rights because it, generally, is aimed at punishing acts which affect fundamental human rights, namely: life, liberty and security. The codification of international criminal law can also make sense in the light of the fact that this body of law aims to punish actions which may have been carried out as part of a broader State policy—meaning they are, perhaps, unlikely to be punished at the domestic level for as long as the responsible administration retains power—and/or which may threaten the sovereignty of another State…’’.
The Canadian government can explore this legal injunction if India fails to address the Canadian government concerns. ‘’A State which considers that the other side has failed to perform the obligations incumbent upon it under a judgment rendered by the Court may bring the matter before the Security Council which is empowered to recommend or decide upon measures to be taken to give effect to the judgment’’.
Modi’s fascist mindset: It is not only the case with Sikhs’ Khalistan Movement leaders, Modi’s government hands are clearly involved in the killing of Kashmir freedom movement leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has also intensified the pursuit of Sikh separatists and arrested dozens of leaders from various outfits that are linked to the movement. When farmers camped out on the edges of New Delhi to protest controversial agriculture laws in 2020, Modi’s government initially tried to discredit Sikh participants by calling them “Khalistanis.” Under pressure, the Modi government later withdrew the laws.
Moreover, for years and years, Indian security forces have been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir where under the pretext of security operation, the security forces are used to targeting the Kashmiri freedom fighters , particularly those having links with All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and JKLF , in this regard, the case of Yasin Malik is a self-speaking case.. Needless to say, in the name of security operations, security force personnel have committed many grave human rights violations which have gone unpunished.
RAW as an instrument of terror: In a recent report published in EurAsian Times, ‘RAW hunts Mossad style’, it is revealed by an ex RAW officer: “India can do such covert operations because now we wield more power in the world, more than even the UK and Canada. What has changed now is the emergence of India as a powerful nation and go-ahead from the government in power”, N K Sood, who had long served ‘Pakistan desk’ during his career in RAW, told EurAsian Times. It is further alleged by the Canadian government that prior to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was shot dead in a car park in Canada, three other Indians associated with the Sikh separatist movement had died on foreign soil – in circumstances deemed, at least by some, as suspicious.
As a welfare state upholding the norms of multiculturalism and human rights the concern chartered by the Canadian government must be taken a serious note at the UNSC forum where India has to be accountable before the international community regarding its act of terrorism on the foreign soil. The failure to address these abuses violates the rights of the victims and survivors to justice and remedy which is enshrined in the UN’s Charter and international human rights.
—The writer, an independent ‘IR’ researcher-cum-international law analyst based in Pakistan, is member of European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on IR, Critical Peace & Conflict Studies, also a member of Washington Foreign Law Society and European Society of International Law. He deals with the strategic and nuclear issues.
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