TRUDEAU has exposed India on the killing of a Canadian citizen, violating country’s sovereignty and international law. Pakistan stands with Canadians because it has firsthand experience of state-sponsored terrorism of India and West’s hypocritical support. The West will protect India not Canada because of its trade and security interests. Trump isolated Trudeau for protecting Canadian dairy farmers. With $1.5T annual trade, Canada is a global competitor rather than an ally in international politics.
As head of a developed country, Trudeau should demand strictest sanctions against Modi as perpetrator of state-sponsored terrorism. He should face same yardstick that Western media demands against Putin for targeting Russians and dual nationals in the UK. The targeted killing of Sikh singer Sidhu Musewala in India merits to be included in the investigation also. Without accountability, upholding rule of law and national sovereignty in the case of India, democracy, global trade and peace cannot sustain and prosper.
During the G-20, Modi renamed India as Bharat in his nationalist vision. President Droupadi Murmu also referred to herself as the “President of Bharat” in dinner invitation for G20 leaders. Modi said that Bharat welcomes the delegates as the President of the G20. After Gujrat carnage and Babri Mosque, Modi is transitioning into hero son (Baharta) of Mahabharata to restore Bharat comprising Indian subcontinent and the region of Greater India. Canada has exposed India and the West must stop Modi who is endangering global peace with its support.
Mahabharata — an epic containing all Hindu myths and religious lore including Ramayana — has been part of Indian culture for centuries by the time Gandhi came to it. Most Indians grew up watching performances of Mahabharata and feats of its heroes. Gandhi used two royals feud for land control in Mahabharata in neutral terms to stop violence in religiously divided feuding India and use it to defeat British Empire. But he said that characters in sacred texts of Hinduism are “bloodthirsty, revengeful and merciless” (India’s epic struggle, 16 August 2016, the Guardian).Sikh murders show that Modi is using Mahabharata to fulfil his expansionist designs in the region after Kashmir.
Without rule of law, it is impossible to run international trade, bilateral and multilateral relations. Canada needs to standup for rule of law so that smaller nations can also get their due share in international pie. Otherwise, the global economic system cannot deliver social mobility. The increase in the number of immigrants in the West is the result of the failing economies of their countries. The use of violence by India as an ally of the West will further fuel economic migrants, human trafficking, deaths (Mediterranean Sea), modern slavery and gross human rights violations including detention centres of West.
Like the ME-Europe trade route, India will abuse the West to expand its trade and military influence across the north pole with direct impact on national interests of Canada. As the West’s ally in war against Russia, Pakistan has faced fallout of such skewed geo-strategic alliances. The West imposed this war in the region to protect its trade and military interests. It cost Pakistan $243bn, 80,000 lives, trade, jobs and economic development. Pakistan can help Canada avoid far reaching fallout of such alliances.
Canada is a strong voice in the global community. Trudeau needs to challenge the failures of existing global economic system to replace predatory trade alliances at the cost of other countries with win-win economic cooperation with bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The world needs review of fiat currency, international financial institutions, restoration of Bretton Woods Agreement to link currencies to gold so that workers’ wages run their houses, pay for education and healthcare of their families and generate revenue for their states instead of offsetting poverty in the rich countries colonizing global economies and resources.
PM Trudeau is a witness of the cost-of-living crisis in Canada. He is aware of the fallout of increase in property prices, mortgage payments and allied costs as well as the cost of privatization. The GDP based growth figures fail to reflect the human cost of economic fallouts at grassroots. Immigration, dual nationalities and corruption are undermining national economies. Canada can help Pakistan fight these challenges including corruption with AML so that public funds can be used for its taxpayers. It will help fight Pakistan corruption cases in Europe, America and the Middle East.
The strong relations between Pakistan and Canada can be further improved with expansion of bilateral cooperation in terms of trade, technology, agriculture and other critical areas. Canada can help Pakistan with transfer of technology to meet its needs in agriculture, healthcare, energy, water and food security. On the foreign policy front, they should call for ending forever wars to help unite Europe for improving global trade, world peace and strategic power balance.
Finally, Pakistan supports Trudeau against India to uphold international law. Modi should face law for his role in the assassination of a Canadian citizen and violating its sovereignty. India should face sanctions under the relevant laws and permanently block from applying for UNSC membership. On the economic front, Pakistan should look at alternate model of balanced budget and gold standard to end reliance on forex reserves, control its smuggling, politics of international trade and protecting national interests.
—The writer is senior political analyst based in Islamabad.
Email: [email protected]
