Canadian Government’s decision to remove all references to Khalistani extremism in its 2018 report on terrorist threats to Canada has drawn sharp criticism from Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh, reports Times of India on April 14. The CM stated that said it was clearly aimed at protecting its political interests in a poll year on the pretext of pressure groups in the Sikh community. He also added that the decision could have serious consequences for Indo-Canadian relations in the long run. He also added that decision could have serious consequences for Indo-Canadian relations in the long run, he warned, reasoning that such a move is a threat to Indian as well as global security. The Canadian government had removed eight references to Sikh extremism and six references to Khalistan from its terror report.
The Punjab CM had on February 21, 2018 handed over a list of ‘A’ category Canada based operatives of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), repots Times of India. However, except in one or two cases Canada has failed to take action against any of the operatives.