(Written By: Abdul Basit Alvi)
India asserts itself as an exemplary secular State, a claim that stands in stark contrast to the prevailing truth. The concept of an ideal country transcends borders and cultural disparities, embodying a vision shared globally for a society characterized by justice, prosperity, and harmony. While achieving perfection may be an ambitious pursuit, certain attributes delineate the contours of an ideal nation, offering guidance to countries endeavoring to cultivate environments conducive to the flourishing of their citizens.
Internally, India falls short of embodying the traits of an ideal country. Issues such as poverty, unemployment, injustice, environmental concerns, and human rights violations against minorities are glaringly evident on the global stage. The actions of India and its military in Occupied Kashmir are particularly concerning. Recent controversial bills passed in the Lok Sabha, including the Jammu and Kashmir Poll Amendment Bill 2023 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Amendment Bill 2023, have raised eyebrows.
Under the Revival Amendment Bill, 2023, reserved seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly have been allocated for persons belonging to Pakistan Kashmir and displaced Kashmiri Pandits, including women candidates. The Reorganization Amendment Bill, 2023, incorporates the territory of Ladakh into the Union of Jammu and Kashmir. Home Minister Amit Shah, during his Lok Sabha address, linked Article 370 to separatism, claiming a 70% reduction in violent incidents. He also criticized Prime Minister Nehru’s decisions regarding the Kashmir issue, leading to a walkout by the opposition Congress party.
These developments reflect the BJP government’s Hindutva approach, suggesting a divergence from truth and reality.
India has engaged in interventionist activities in numerous countries, utilizing RAW as a tool to exert influence abroad. RAW, India’s external intelligence agency, has long operated in secrecy due to its covert undertakings on foreign soil. The agency has been involved in objectionable activities overseas that encroach upon the sovereignty of other nations.
One enduring accusation against RAW involves its purported support for insurgent groups and separatist movements in neighboring nations, with Pakistan being a notable case. Critics argue that RAW has provided material and financial assistance to various insurgent factions, thereby contributing to regional instability. Additionally, RAW has faced accusations of espionage in foreign countries, involving the collection of sensitive intelligence data and compromising the national security of other nations. These allegations have, on several occasions, strained India’s relations with neighboring countries.
RAW has been implicated in covert operations aimed at destabilizing governments and instigating political change in neighboring countries, actions that violate the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations. The agency has also been linked to acts of sabotage in foreign countries, including cyberattacks and acts of terrorism. These allegations have led to significant diplomatic repercussions.
India and RAW are consistently engaged in supporting terrorist activities within Pakistan. Kulbhushan Yadav, a retired Indian Navy officer, was implicated in dangerous activities in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and found to be spying for India’s intelligence agency, RAW. Pakistani Security Forces apprehended him on March 3, 2016, on charges of espionage and involvement in acts of terrorism in Balochistan, with his arrest based on information provided by the ISI.
RAW has been operating from the territories of neighboring countries with the aim of destabilizing and weakening Pakistan, even before the World Trade Centre incident. Pakistan paid a substantial price for its role as an ally in the global war on terror, enduring a prolonged strategy by India to sow division along ethnic lines. India has also used Afghanistan’s territory as a launchpad for activities against Pakistan, actively participating in anti-state activities throughout Pakistan, including in regions such as Balochistan and KPK. As a result, these areas have experienced recurrent periods of unrest and conflict, often attributed to India’s sponsorship and support for terrorism in Pakistan.
Recent tensions between Canada and India have attracted global attention. Several months ago, Canada publicly announced its active pursuit of credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia. This development significantly strained diplomatic relations between the two countries. In an emergency statement to the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau firmly stated that any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen constitutes “an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.” The victim, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45 years old, was fatally shot outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a substantial Sikh population. Nijjar openly advocated for a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state and had been designated as a “terrorist” by India in July 2020.
Trudeau conveyed that Canadian security agencies are actively pursuing credible allegations pointing to a potential connection between government agents from India and Nijjar’s death. He mentioned raising the murder issue directly with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 summit in New Delhi and urged the Indian government to cooperate with Canada in thoroughly investigating the matter. In response to these developments, Canada also took the unprecedented step of expelling India’s top intelligence agent stationed in the country.
Recently, a court in Qatar sentenced eight former Indian navy personnel to death, accusing them of espionage on behalf of Israel. Among those sentenced are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Rajesh. All these ex-naval personnel were employed by Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private company owned by a former officer of the Oman Air Force. This firm was responsible for providing training and various services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies.
The true nature of India is evident not only to its domestic population but also to its diaspora. Sikhs, for instance, are acutely aware of India’s reality and express a desire for a separate existence. India’s influence extends to Sikhs abroad, and they are responding resolutely to these perceived hostile actions. In a recent incident, a senior Indian diplomat, Taranjit Sandhu, encountered confrontation from pro-Khalistan Sikhs at a Gurdwara in New York, leading to his abrupt departure from the place of worship.
During the encounter, activists questioned Ambassador Taranjit Sandhu about his alleged involvement in a failed Indian state plot to assassinate Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Pannun is a key figure associated with Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and the global Khalistan Referendum campaign. Pro-Khalistan Sikhs, led by Himmat Singh at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York, also accused Sandhu of India’s role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the President of Surrey Gurdwara and the coordinator for the Canadian Chapter of the Khalistan Referendum.
The public questioning agitated the diplomat, prompting him to abruptly leave the Gurdwara without providing any answers. Despite the confrontation, the pro-Khalistan Sikhs emphasized their right, as U.S. citizens, to peacefully question anyone, regardless of their government affiliation. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the SFJ General Counsel targeted in the foiled Indian assassination plot, asserted that despite India’s attempts to thwart the Khalistan Referendum, the voting would continue, with the American phase scheduled to commence on January 28, 2024, in San Francisco, California.
This incident follows the recent revelation of a thwarted Indian conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. The U.S. authorities issued a warning to the Indian government over its alleged involvement in the plot, as reported by the Financial Times (FT). The FT disclosed that the Indian government was behind the scheme, which targeted Pannun, a leading figure in the Khalistan Referendum campaign. The U.S. Department is considering whether to unseal the indictment and make the allegations public or await the completion of Canada’s investigation into Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder, a Canadian Sikh separatist linked to the case.
Furthermore, India’s premier intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has reportedly ceased operations at its North American stations for the first time since its inception in 1968. This decision comes in anticipation of impending criminal charges against an Indian citizen accused of conspiring to assassinate a pro-Sikh activist in New York.
The global condemnation following the assassination of a Sikh leader by the Indian intelligence agency Raw (RAW) in India had barely subsided when the notorious agency found itself embroiled in another controversy. In Germany, an Indian couple now faces accusations of spying on the Sikh and Kashmiri communities. The couple is set to stand trial, confronting the possibility of a 10-year prison sentence. As per reports from the World News Agency, 50-year-old Manmohan and his wife stand accused of engaging in espionage on Sikhs and Kashmiris residing in Germany on behalf of the Indian intelligence agency Raw (RAW). This act is deemed a punishable offense under German secrecy laws. The legal proceedings for this case are unfolding in a Frankfurt court. “In early 2023, prosecutors revealed that Manmohan had willingly supplied information about the Sikh and Kashmiri communities in Germany and the Kashmiri freedom movement to an employee of the Indian intelligence agency Raw (RAW),” stated the prosecutors in an official statement. Furthermore, it was disclosed that Manmohan’s wife had conducted numerous meetings with an Indian intelligence officer from July to December 2017, receiving $8,100 as compensation for her involvement in this covert operation.
Readers, in light of these realities, the true face of India is becoming increasingly apparent to the global community. It is now imperative to exert pressure on India to ensure the protection of human rights for minorities within its borders and to cease interference in the affairs of other nations.
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