This was Canadian Justin Trudeau's first trip to India (in the second half of February) as Prime Minister and it started off by making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
In the first four days of his visit Trudeau travelled to the iconic Taj Mahal, nearly 200 km from the capital, New Delhi and Gujarat (home state of Prime Minister Modi) and also Mumbai, but no senior government minister received him or welcomed him and his family. The fact that the two leaders didn't meet -- and hug -- until seven days into the trip, the last day but one, played out in stark contrast with the recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January, when he was greeted with a trademark bear hug by Modi immediately upon landing in Delhi.
Many analysts interpreted this as a snub given the fact that Modi did not even explain his absence through a tweet (which he is so fond of using all the time). Some sections of the Indian media came out in praise for Modi and expressed their appreciation for his "firmness" and for being "impressively tough". Nevertheless, the right-wing ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denied any disrespect to the visiting leader and Seshadri Chari, member of the National Executive Committee of the BJP told Al-Jazeera, "I don't think this is any kind of snub. India values its relationship with Canada highly."
Such a response to Trudeau's arrival was partially due to allegations that Canada backs Sikh separatist groups. It has also been reported that "the Canadian political establishment across the spectrum - the NDP, Conservatives and Liberals - has been mollycoddling Khalistani elements. Apparently, under the Trudeau government, this has increased and Trudeau himself has been reported of having appeared on a Khalistani platform in Toronto in April last year."[ Indian news site The Print]
Canada boasts 17 Sikh Members of Parliament and immigrants of Sikh origin account for roughly 1.4 per cent of Canada's population of 36 million. It is also well known that Tradeau is fond of Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan who accompanied him on this trip. Some analysts in India have expressed anxiety in this regard and this appears to have originated from seeing Sikhs being in positions of leadership in Canada as being inherently a threat to India.
This misgiving originates from events that took place more than three decades ago. The assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984 (over the Indian army's storming of the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple, to crush the separatist movement) was followed by the killing of more than 3,000 people in anti-Sikh riots following Gandhi's death. Members of Sikh community in Canada were subsequently convicted for the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight, which killed 329 people.
Besides, a campaign is being pursued in several countries by expatriate Sikhs to bring those accused of killing Sikhs in the 1984 massacres to justice.
Consequently, the spectre of Sikh separatism and alleged Canadian state support hung heavy over the trip that was meant to strengthen business and defence ties between the two countries.
New Delhi-based political analyst Krishan Pratap Singh has commented in this regard that "the Khalistan issue" or the demand for a separate state for Indian Sikhs was only " a red herring" aimed at diverting attention from the main issue, which was a complete lack of personal and political chemistry between Prime Minister Modi and his Canadian counterpart. He told Al Jazeera: "Modi's narrow Hindutva nationalism and Trudeau's liberal global vision doesn't mesh very well".
Trudeau's response to this evolving drama was very mature. While speaking in the Indian city of Ahmedabad Trudeau said Canada "recognised and supported a united India", dismissing the allegations that his country supported separatist forces. However, he also pointed out that "... I think part of Canada's strength is that we recognise that diversity is strength and a wide range of opinions and views are an important part of the success of Canada." During the meeting in Amritsar, a city in the state of Punjab, Trudeau "conveyed his support for a united India, stressing the desire to see positive collaboration on issues of mutual concern". Trudeau also reiterated the need to share the existing commitment to strengthen people-to-people ties through "our" cultural and ethnic diversity.
Boparai from the non-profit World Sikh Organisation has taken this opportunity to observe that the Indian allegations about expatriate Sikhs trying to destabilise Indian unity are "baseless" and have never been "substantiated with actual evidence". He added that "India has trouble accepting criticism from minority groups and tends to label calls for accountability 'anti-national' or 'extremist'. As a democracy, India must realise that human rights are critical and cannot be dismissed by trying to malign or marginalise those seeking justice." Mukhbir Singh, the group's president has also stated that "The Sikh community in Canada is incredibly engaged in every facet of Canadian life, and there is nothing to indicate any rise in radicalism,"
Interestingly, in recent months, Sikh temples in Canada, the US and Australia have banned some Indian officials from visiting gurudwaras, alleging interference by such officials. The arrest and detention in November, 2017 of Jagtar Singh Johal, a Scottish Sikh activist associated with justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has created a storm among the Sikh diaspora who have campaigned for his release. Johal allegedly is being investigated for conspiracy to murder prominent right-wing Hindu leaders.
These comments clearly indicate that the Canadian government as well as the expatriate Sikh community residing in Canada as well as the USA is trying its best to downplay any rift with India over the Sikh issue.
The two leaders of Canada and India finally met at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi a day before the Canadian leader's visit would end. The meeting came a day after Canada withdrew an invitation to an alleged Sikh extremist, Jaspal Atwal to attend an official dinner with Mr Trudeau in Delhi.
Modi and Trudeau, at ease, discussed issues related to trade, defence, climate change and also cooperation over civil nuclear energy. Mr Trudeau also met Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. before concluding the visit, relevant Canadian and Indian representatives inked six pacts associated with the following sectors- sports, education and energy. There was agreement to work together and share information related to defence cooperation, terrorism and extremism. India and Canada also decided to broaden and deepen social and economic ties. India welcomed the possibility of facilitating further efforts by the Canada Pension Fund, already a large investor in India, to expand its areas of activity. This last decision has been particularly welcomed by business houses in Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi. It may be added here that Canada's Brookfield Asset Management, encouraged by the Indian growth story, has expressed interest to invest between Canadian Dollars 12 to 15 billion in sectors like infrastructure, renewable energy, e-commerce and financial services.
From the viewpoint of Bangladesh, it was significant that the issue of Rohingya refugees figured during the talks between Modi and Tradeau. A joint statement issued at the end of their meeting observed: "Canada and India call for the voluntary, safe and sustainable return of the people displaced, while stressing the importance of ensuring law and order and respect for human dignity in this process." They also called for "restoration of humanitarian access for relevant UN and other international organisations to facilitate the entire process."
The two leaders also discussed and subsequently made their observations about the evolving dynamics in the Maldives. The joint statement expressed "strong concern" over recent developments in the Maldives and their implications for a free society and called for early revocation of the state of emergency in that country to allow all democratic institutions to function independently. Such an expression was interpreted by some analysts as an indirect hint from India to China not to transgress into India's domain of influence.
Finally, despite several challenges Trudeau's India trip, mired in controversy, ended with a hug.
Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information
and good governance.
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