India Condemns Canada’s “Silence Tribute” to Khalistani Terrorist Nijjar

New Delhi, India – The Indian government has strongly condemned the recent “silence tribute” observed by the Canadian House of Commons in honor of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist who was killed in India.

The tribute, which took place on September 13th, 2023, saw Canadian MPs observe a moment of silence to commemorate Nijjar. This move has been met with outrage and condemnation from India, which views Nijjar as a dangerous extremist involved in numerous acts of violence.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a strongly worded statement, calling the tribute “deeply disturbing” and “unacceptable.” The statement highlighted Nijjar’s involvement in the assassination of Punjab Police officials and his alleged connection to the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), a designated terrorist organization.

India’s concerns:

Legitimization of terrorism: India argues that the tribute to Nijjar amounts to legitimizing terrorism and provides a platform for extremist ideologies.
Threat to bilateral relations: This act, according to India, severely strains the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Double standards: India criticizes Canada for upholding the rule of law while simultaneously honoring an individual linked to violence and separatism.

Canadian government’s response:

The Canadian government, while acknowledging Nijjar’s death, has maintained that the tribute was a routine parliamentary procedure and not an endorsement of his actions. They have emphasized the importance of upholding freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest.

International repercussions:

The incident has sparked heated debate and raised concerns about the growing influence of Khalistani separatists in Canada.

Moving forward:

India has urged Canada to take concrete steps to address the issue of terrorism and to ensure that its territory is not used for promoting extremist activities.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the complex challenges posed by transnational terrorism and the importance of maintaining strong diplomatic ties based on mutual respect and understanding. It remains to be seen how this issue will be resolved and what impact it will have on India-Canada relations.

Keywords: India, Canada, Khalistani, Nijjar, terrorism, tribute, condemnation, MEA, bilateral relations, extremism, KLF, international relations, diplomacy.