Minister Anand meetings with Indian Government undermines public trust and safety

(Surrey, BC: 28 Assu, Nanakshahi 557 | October 13, 2025 CE) – Sikhs across Canada are expressing deep concern following reports that Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand met with her Indian counterpart as well as Narendra Modi earlier today. In the absence of any public accountability for India’s violent attacks on the Sikh community and without public commitments to cease transnational repression, such engagements normalize impunity and undermine public trust in the Government. Engagement must follow accountability, not precede it.

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The Government of Canada has accused the Government of India of orchestrating the assassination of Shaheed Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar and unleashing a broader campaign of violence against Sikhs in Canada. Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister confirmed before a Parliamentary committee that India’s Home Affairs Minister and Modi’s right-hand man, Amit Shah, was the architect of this transnational violence.

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In testimony before Canada’s Foreign Interference Commission, Prime Minister Trudeau described how Indian interference has weaponized criminality and unrest as part of its strategy on Canadian soil. He stated that "folks within the Indian government have decided to create violence and unlawfulness in Canada as a way of demonstrating the point that they are trying to make, that there is violence and unlawfulness in Canada." These are direct assertions by Canada’s own leadership and institutions. Bilateral meetings that proceed absent public consequences send an alarming signal to the world. This is particularly true when the joint communication between both countries remains entirely silent on transnational repression.

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This diplomatic posture also sits uneasily with international human rights concerns. In November 2024, several mandate holders of the UN Human Rights Council issued a joint communication to the Government of India regarding extrajudicial killings and violent attacks on Sikh activists in exile, noting that India’s ongoing attacks against Sikhs worldwide "contribute to the hostile environment in Punjab."

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National Spokesperson for the Sikh Federation (Canada), Moninder Singh, stated:

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“After these grave allegations, how can the Government of Canada continue on with business as usual without any public accountability for the Indian officials responsible for orchestrating this violence? This sends a clear message to Sikhs across Canada; that our safety, security, and fundamental freedoms are being used as a bargaining chip. Deepening economic and diplomatic ties while Sikh activists continue to face threats from Indian agents is not responsible diplomacy, it is an incentive for further abuses and a recipe for destabilization in South Asia.”

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For media inquiries, please contact: info@sikhfederation.ca