A recent article published by a Canadian media outlet has raised questions regarding India’s approach to withholding visas from pro-Khalistan individuals, urging them to disassociate from separatist activities. The article specifically referenced the 2016 visa refusal of an individual who refused to renounce his allegiance to the Khalistan movement. However, while the piece investigates this diplomatic tension, it overlooks a crucial element—Bharat’s visa policy and its broader context.
Bharat’s visa policy, particularly concerning pro-Khalistan elements, is part of a long-standing diplomatic approach to managing separatism abroad. It is essential to recognize that visa issuance is a sovereign right, and each country, including Canada, has the authority to determine who can enter its borders.
Before 2016, New Delhi had maintained a substantial blacklist of pro-Khalistan figures abroad, banning them from entry. This list, which grew in the 1980s and expanded through the years, was part of Bharat’s security measures to curb separatism and maintain stability within its borders.
India’s Outreach Effort to Pro-Khalistan Elements
However, a significant shift occurred around late 2015, as Bharat began reconsidering its approach to handling pro-Khalistan sympathizers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London that year marked the beginning of an outreach initiative aimed at fostering dialogue and potentially dissuading separatists from pursuing an ideology that had lost much of its support in India, particularly in Punjab.
During Modi’s visit, Jasdev Singh Rai, director of the Sikh Human Rights Forum in the UK, emerged as a key figure in these back-channel discussions. Rai, known for his efforts to bridge gaps between separatists and the Indian government, began engaging with pro-Khalistan individuals in Canada. In early 2016, Rai publicly stated that Indian authorities were taking steps to address the blacklist issue, with some individuals being removed from the list.
This initiative to reset relations with the pro-Khalistan diaspora, particularly in Canada, was not without controversy. Many hardline groups within the Sikh community opposed the overture, fearing that it could undermine the Khalistani cause. The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a prominent separatist group, challenged Rai’s claims, rejecting the notion of dialogue with the Indian government.
Controversial Figures and Visa Issues
Among those removed from Bharat’s blacklist were Jaspal Atwal and Ripudaman Singh Malik, two notorious figures linked to terrorist activities in Canada. Atwal was convicted for the 1986 murder of Punjab Minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu, while Malik was accused in the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, an attack that killed 329 people. Although Malik was acquitted due to lack of evidence, his involvement in the bombing remains a dark chapter in Canada’s history.
Atwal later made headlines in 2018, when he appeared at a formal event in Mumbai during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to India. The incident stirred a media storm, with Ottawa blaming “rogue elements” within the Indian government for orchestrating the situation. Malik’s connections to the Indian government also surfaced, notably in 2022 when he wrote a letter praising Prime Minister Modi and visited India. Tragically, Malik was murdered later that year, an event that remains under investigation.
Despite the efforts to ease tensions and normalize relations, the diplomatic landscape shifted dramatically after 2018. Trudeau’s government blocked Rai from visiting Bharat again by rejecting his travel authorization. This move coincided with increasing opposition to the Indian government’s outreach to separatists.
Tensions Escalate Between Canada and Bharat
In 2023, diplomatic relations between Canada and Bharat began to deteriorate following a series of significant incidents. Trudeau publicly accused the Indian government of being involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan figure in Surrey, British Columbia. The allegations, coupled with further accusations of Indian diplomats being involved in criminal activities in Canada, led to a major diplomatic rift.
Bharat’s response to the tensions has included a reevaluation of its visa policy, particularly concerning individuals aligned with pro-Khalistan movements. A senior Indian official recently revealed that Bharat was now exercising increased caution in issuing visas and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards, particularly to those suspected of supporting separatism in Canada.
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