World Sikh Parliament to alert World Leadersamid exposure of Indian Intelligence Operations

 

 

April 24th 2020: The humiliating exposure this week of a long-running major Indian intelligence operation in Canada will

embarrass India’s spy agencies but, according to leading Sikh organisations, this should serve as another reminder to

countries across the world that host Sikh diaspora communities to beware such unscrupulous activities.

Bribing foreign government officials to toe the Indian government line, infiltrating Sikh organisations (including Gurdwara

management committees), and using paid media organisations to put out propaganda has long been the modus operandi

of agencies such as India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), in their unrelenting effort to

allegedly met Indian intelligence more than 25 times over six years, most recently in May 2015 — a month after Indian

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Canada. A Canadian official wrote to him saying “You stated that you were asked by

RAW to covertly influence Canadian government representatives and agencies on behalf of the Indian government”. The

letter continues “You stated that the guidance from RAW included that you were to provide financial assistance and

propaganda material to politicians in order to exert influence over them”. The article notes that India has long sought to

pressure Ottawa over the activism of Sikhs in Canada in advocating independence for India’s Sikh minority. It also points

out that, whilst the Canadian government was not providing direct comment on that specific case, the Public Safety

Minister Bill Blair’s office said the government was “concerned when any country shows destabilizing behavior, including

interference in other countries’ democratic systems.” The full article can be seen at:

https://globalnews.ca/news/6823170/canadian-politicians-targeted-indian-intelligence/

These cases follow closely on the heels of the conviction of two Indians by a German court earlier this year for spying on

Sikh and Kashmiri groups in return for substantial payments by RAW. Further details of that case were published by the

BBC and can be found at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50763008

Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, Coordinator of UN-NGO Council of World Sikh Parliament said “I have myself seen many

incidents of Indian agencies interfering in America’s democratic process. He gave examples of emails sent by Indian

organizations against the raising of the Sikh national flag, efforts by the Indian Consulate in New York calling library in

Norwich, Connecticut to remove a Sikh Genocide Memorial, Indian government agents emailing senators not to pass Bill

in Connecticut for recognition of “Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day” and their attempts to intervene in our Gurudwaras

(Sikh place of worship). Khalsa said “Due to the unacceptable and persistent interference in Sikh affairs by Indian officials,

their entry (in an official capacity) in to Gurdwaras throughout the Diaspora has been banned.” That ban hit India’s

independence, by a broadcaster with strong Indian connections broke UK broadcasting rules”. The official Ofcom

determination referred to can be found at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/122960/issue-363-

broadcast-on-demand-bulletin.pdf

 

Ranjit Singh adds: “The Indian lobby has been hard at work in the UK to interfere in the UK Sikh community’s determined

campaign for separate recognition and monitoring of Sikhs here as an ethnic group, for the specific purposes of relevant

UK law and practice, even though India as no conceivable legitimacy to do so. Further, India has, especially since 2018,

been actively putting pressure on UK authorities to ban Sikh protests outside the Indian High Commission in London,

seemingly ignorant of the fact that the right to protest is a fundamental aspect of the democratic framework in this

country”.

Sikh organisations worldwide have welcomed the exposure of such Indian interference in Sikh affairs and are following up

General secretaries World Sikh Parliament

The World Sikh Parliament was formed pursuant to a resolution of the Sarbat Khalsa (national gathering)

held in the Sikh homeland in November 2015