Canada visas are sponsored by terrorists to recruit young individuals into their ranks.

NEW DELHI: Slain terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other pro-Khalistan elements in Canada have been building a local ‘pro-Khalistan brigade’ by sponsoring visas for gullible Punjab youths for medium-skilled jobs, including religious duties in gurdwaras controlled by them, and “offering shelter and low-scale jobs” with gurdwaras’ resources for “sustenance” of illegal immigrants and Indian students, as per Indian intelligence sources.

Summary:
★Pro-Khalistan elements in Canada are building a local ‘pro-Khalistan brigade’.
★They are sponsoring visas for Punjab youths for medium-skilled jobs and religious duties.
★These youths are used for organizing anti-India protests and conducting radical-religious congregations in Canada.
★The Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar charges Rs 1-2 lakh to issue a “letter” to youths seeking political asylum in Canada.
★Canada’s soft-pedalling of pro-Khalistan elements has led to their rise in clout in gurdwaras across the country.
★The human trafficking channel from India to Canada remains undisrupted.
★Canada-based Khalistani extremists have links to more than half of the terror cases reported from Punjab.
★Canada-based gangsters bring drugs from Pakistan into Punjab and fund Khalistan activities.

Many of these ‘indebted’ youths are brought in to work as plumbers, truck drivers, or perform religious duties in gurdwaras controlled by pro-Khalistan elements in cities like Surrey, Brampton, and Edmonton. Once in Canada, they are sucked into the separatist movement and used for organizing anti-India protests and conducting radical-religious congregations.

Apart from the pro-Khalistan elements based in Canada, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar, a political party in Punjab, is said to charge Rs 1-2 lakh to issue a “letter” to the state’s youths for seeking political asylum in Canada. These youths are head-hunted for pro-Khalistan activities upon reaching Canada.

Indian intelligence sources claim that the human trafficking channel from India to Canada remains undisrupted under the very nose of Canadian agencies. This channel is essentially used to make up for the lack of support for the Khalistani cause among the local Indian diaspora.

The rise in the clout of pro-Khalistan elements in gurdwaras across Canada has emboldened them to intimidate Hindu members of the local Indian diaspora and threaten the defacement of their temples.

The role of Canada-based Khalistani extremists has emerged in more than half of the terror cases reported from Punjab. Investigations have also linked them to multiple targeted killings in Punjab since 2016. Canadian agencies, however, have yet to start inquiries or investigations against these individuals.

Furthermore, the role of Canada-based gangsters in bringing drugs from Pakistan into Punjab and using the proceeds to fund Khalistan activities has also been uncovered in several investigations conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The soft-pedalling of pro-Khalistan elements by Canadian agencies and the lack of action against them has raised concerns about their influence and activities in Canada.

In conclusion, the building of a local ‘pro-Khalistan brigade’ by pro-Khalistan elements in Canada, the sponsorship of visas for Punjab youths, and the use of gurdwaras’ resources for illegal immigrants and Indian students have raised concerns about the rise of separatist and terrorist activities on Canadian soil. The lack of action by Canadian agencies against these elements has allowed them to gain clout in gurdwaras across the country and intimidate the local Indian diaspora.