- Even as the Indian leadership was basking in the successful conduct of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, it was visible that the Indo-Canadian bilateral relationship had not only reached icy levels but also appeared strained to a large extent. Soon after the Summit ended, came a bombshell allegation from Canadian PM Justin Trudeau accusing India of complicity in the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. All hell broke loose since that grandiose announcement by Trudeau based on credible allegations without providing supporting evidence to prove the claim. India was not only dismissive of that allegation but also raised the issue of Canada harboring several proclaimed terrorists in Canada despite providing necessary pieces of evidence.
PC: CBC
- We know how the USA initially avoided direct intervention in the sensitive issue by proclaiming usual diplomatic statements of acting as per the international protocol, but of late has started backing the Canadian leadership by issuing statements much to the chagrin of the Indian authorities. It appears all the recent bonhomie between India and the USA cannot be taken for granted when the latter decides to indulge in preaching without actually practicing it in the first place. Did someone say the double standards espoused by the West haven’t quite ended? Indeed. When America-led West says governments must not order hit jobs on citizens of other countries – as it has been saying since the Nijjar killing, it simply sounds hollow and bereft of conviction.
- Look at how the USA went about preaching not to buy Russian oil – as it has preached since Russia invaded Ukraine and India became Russia’s big petro buyer. Mind you, what’s at play is deadpan duplicity. The point is not whether GOI ordered the hit job: GOI has denied it strongly and Canada hasn’t offered any substantive proof yet. Most welcomingly, foreign minister Jaishankar hit the bull’s eye when he mentioned double standards in the UNGA. Double standards are standard operating procedures in global realpolitik. But it stands out when it’s SOP for the West since Western countries consider themselves as models of moral behavior. America’s many recent extrajudicial killings are justified by the targets being terrorists or dangerous types, and they are.
PC: Canadian Press
- But here’s the thing. The world is supposed to accept America’s definition of a terrorist., but America and its allies contest many other democracies’ definitions of what’s terrorism or dangerous behavior. Nijjar is being called Sikh leader or dissident leader by many in the West. This is laughable, considering both what he had done and who his close associates were. If one were to apply the Western view on Nijjar to some of the characters killed by Israeli hit squads Israel would be under permanent sanction. But Western realpolitik demands there be no censure of Israel. It’s about power and interests, isn’t it? India cannot be taken lightly anymore, even by the West. Sitting on a moral pedestal and preaching will not cut any ice either.
