Latest news with #Hindu-nationalist
Vancouver Sun
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
India still poses foreign interference threat to Canada despite renewed diplomacy: CSIS
OTTAWA — Indian officials and their proxy agents in Canada engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Wednesday in its annual report. When such activities are deceptive, clandestine or threatening, they are deemed to be foreign interference, the report says. 'These activities attempt to steer Canada's positions into alignment with India's interests on key issues, particularly with respect to how the Indian government perceives Canada-based supporters of an independent homeland that they call Khalistan,' the report says. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The report adds that the re-election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mean India's political course will continue to follow the Hindu-nationalist policy agenda implemented since Modi was first elected in 2014. 'Modi and his core ministers and advisers are keen to build India's global influence and counter any activity they consider as 'anti-India,' at home or abroad, in the name of domestic stability and prosperity,' the CSIS report says. 'With that considered, there is a long history of India arguing that Canada is a haven for 'anti-India' activity, with the separatist Khalistan movement being a particular focus of India's concern, which is rooted in the aftermath of the 1985 Air India bombing and subsequent terrorist activity in India.' The report, which was tabled in the House of Commons on June 13, comes as Canada renews diplomatic ties with India following Prime Minister Mark Carney's meeting with Modi at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alta., on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed to reappoint their respective high commissioners. In October 2024, Canada expelled consular officials and six Indian diplomats — including the high commissioner — when they refused to co-operate with a police probe into allegations that agents of the Indian government ran a targeted campaign of criminal violence and harassment against Canadian citizens. India responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner. Both high commissioner positions have been vacant since then. A year before the diplomats were expelled, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said they had credible evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the 2023 murder of Canadian Sikh-activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C. Wednesday was the second anniversary of his murder. Four Indian nationals have been charged with first degree murder in that case and the court process is ongoing. A few dozen protesters gathered outside the Indian consulate in downtown Vancouver to mark two years since Nijjar's assassination. Sikh Federation Canada spokesman Moninder Singh said before the protest that India is a 'major player' in foreign interference in Canada, and he decried the 'normalizing' of relations between the two countries. At a news conference in Kananaskis on Tuesday night, Carney would not answer when asked whether he raised Nijjar's killing with Modi. The advocacy group Sikhs for Justice said in a media release they want Carney to 'publicly clarify' whether he did or did not discuss Nijjar with Modi. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Canada has had 'difficult conversations' with the Indian government and that will continue. 'There is no way in which a third country can come into Canada and implement, using proxies, be involved in the murder of a Canadian. And we have expressed our concerns over many months, and we will continue to do so,' Anandasangaree said after the Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday. 'It is an independent investigation that's been undertaken by the RCMP and I think we need to wait until they complete that work.' Anandasangaree said the government condemns any attempt at foreign interference in Canada, and the RCMP's investigation into Nijjar's killing will remain an independent process. B.C. NDP MP Jenny Kwan is calling on the government to suspend all security sharing and intelligence agreements with India and publicly call on the Modi government to 'fully co-operate' with investigations into extrajudicial killings in Canada, including Nijjar's murder. Kwan sent Anandasangaree a letter saying it is 'beyond disappointing' that Carney invited Modi to the G7 as security issues with India persist. 'Continuing to engage the Modi government without full transparency and accountability undermines Canada's credibility in defending human rights and the rule of law — both at home and abroad,' Kwan wrote. B.C. Premier David Eby said Tuesday he wants to see the Lawrence Bishnoi gang designated as a terrorist group. The RCMP have said the gang targets Sikh separatist activists in Canada on behalf of the Indian government. Eby said Tuesday that the gang had been linked to extortion and other crimes against South Asian community members in B.C., Alberta and Ontario. Kwan also called for the Bishnoi gang to be designated as a terrorist group in her letter. Anandasangaree said the federal government has not yet received a formal request from Eby but he looks forward to discussing it further with the premier. Eby shared the letter he sent to Carney, dated June 17, requesting the Bishnoi gang be designated a terrorist entity on social media Wednesday afternoon. The minister said that security officials continually assess which groups could be added to Canada's terrorist list. He would not say if the Bishnoi gang is currently up for consideration. 'This doesn't mean it's an active file right now, but I will say that at all times, our security apparatus will assess the threats and whether they meet the legal threshold that's in the Criminal Code for the listing,' Anandasangaree said. — With additional reporting from Darryl Greer and Nono Shen in Vancouver Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
India still poses foreign interference threat to Canada despite renewed diplomacy: CSIS
Article content OTTAWA — Indian officials and their proxy agents in Canada engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Wednesday in its annual report. When such activities are deceptive, clandestine or threatening, they are deemed to be foreign interference, the report says. Article content 'These activities attempt to steer Canada's positions into alignment with India's interests on key issues, particularly with respect to how the Indian government perceives Canada-based supporters of an independent homeland that they call Khalistan,' the report says. The report adds that the re-election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mean India's political course will continue to follow the Hindu-nationalist policy agenda implemented since Modi was first elected in 2014. 'Modi and his core ministers and advisers are keen to build India's global influence and counter any activity they consider as 'anti-India,' at home or abroad, in the name of domestic stability and prosperity,' the CSIS report says. 'With that considered, there is a long history of India arguing that Canada is a haven for 'anti-India' activity, with the separatist Khalistan movement being a particular focus of India's concern, which is rooted in the aftermath of the 1985 Air India bombing and subsequent terrorist activity in India.' Article content Article content The report, which was tabled in the House of Commons on June 13, comes as Canada renews diplomatic ties with India following Prime Minister Mark Carney's meeting with Modi at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alta., on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed to reappoint their respective high commissioners. In October 2024, Canada expelled consular officials and six Indian diplomats — including the high commissioner — when they refused to co-operate with a police probe into allegations that agents of the Indian government ran a targeted campaign of criminal violence and harassment against Canadian citizens. India responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner. Both high commissioner positions have been vacant since then. A year before the diplomats were expelled, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said they had credible evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the 2023 murder of Canadian Sikh-activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C. Article content Wednesday was the second anniversary of his murder. Four Indian nationals have been charged with first degree murder in that case and the court process is ongoing. A few dozen protesters gathered outside the Indian consulate in downtown Vancouver to mark two years since Nijjar's assassination. Sikh Federation Canada spokesman Moninder Singh said before the protest that India is a 'major player' in foreign interference in Canada, and he decried the 'normalizing' of relations between the two countries. At a news conference in Kananaskis on Tuesday night, Carney would not answer when asked whether he raised Nijjar's killing with Modi. The advocacy group Sikhs for Justice said in a media release they want Carney to 'publicly clarify' whether he did or did not discuss Nijjar with Modi. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Canada has had 'difficult conversations' with the Indian government and that will continue. Article content 'There is no way in which a third country can come into Canada and implement, using proxies, be involved in the murder of a Canadian. And we have expressed our concerns over many months, and we will continue to do so,' Anandasangaree said after the Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday. 'It is an independent investigation that's been undertaken by the RCMP and I think we need to wait until they complete that work.' Anandasangaree said the government condemns any attempt at foreign interference in Canada, and the RCMP's investigation into Nijjar's killing will remain an independent process. B.C. NDP MP Jenny Kwan is calling on the government to suspend all security sharing and intelligence agreements with India and publicly call on the Modi government to 'fully co-operate' with investigations into extrajudicial killings in Canada, including Nijjar's murder. Article content Kwan sent Anandasangaree a letter saying it is 'beyond disappointing' that Carney invited Modi to the G7 as security issues with India persist. 'Continuing to engage the Modi government without full transparency and accountability undermines Canada's credibility in defending human rights and the rule of law — both at home and abroad,' Kwan wrote. B.C. Premier David Eby said Tuesday he wants to see the Lawrence Bishnoi gang designated as a terrorist group. The RCMP have said the gang targets Sikh separatist activists in Canada on behalf of the Indian government. Eby said Tuesday that the gang had been linked to extortion and other crimes against South Asian community members in B.C., Alberta and Ontario. Kwan also called for the Bishnoi gang to be designated as a terrorist group in her letter. Anandasangaree said the federal government has not yet received a formal request from Eby but he looks forward to discussing it further with the premier. Latest National Stories
Saudi Gazette
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
World's highest railway bridge opens in conflict-hit Kashmir
SRINAGAR — The world's highest railway bridge, an ambitious piece of engineering across a mountain valley in Kashmir, was opened Friday by Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, just weeks after a deadly tourist massacre in the Himalayan region sparked a brief conflict with neighboring Pakistan. Modi's visit to India-administered Kashmir was his first since a brief but deadly conflict between India and Pakistan in April. The nuclear-armed neighbors traded missiles, drones, and artillery shelling for four days after New Delhi blamed the massacre on its neighbor, which Pakistan denies. Decades in the making, the arched Chenab Bridge sits 359 meters (about 1,180 feet) above the river of the same name – that's 29 meters (over 95 feet) higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower. Costing more than $160 million with a length of 1,315 meters (4,314 feet), the bridge is part of the first railway link between Kashmir and the rest of India. Modi's Hindu-nationalist government has moved to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country, including revoking a constitutional provision that allowed it to set its own laws in 2019. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed by India, Pakistan and China. All three administer a part of the region, one of the most militarized zones in the world. In addition to the Chenab Bridge, Modi also inaugurated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, which connects key cities in India-administered Kashmir to the rest of India. For Modi, who swept to power more than a decade ago on a ticket of nationalism and a promise of future greatness, investments in infrastructure like the Chenab Bridge and the broader rail link project can be seen as a powerful tool for social integration and political influence. Since he was first elected in 2014, the prime minister has rapidly expanded the region's road and rail connectivity, building networks that connect disparate towns with major cities. In 2019, New Delhi revoked a constitutional provision giving India-administered Kashmir the autonomy to set its own laws. The southern and eastern portions of the region known previously as the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir became two separate union territories, bringing them under direct control of New Delhi – a move Modi claimed would promote stability, reduce corruption and boost the economy. The Chenab Bridge is being hailed as a major win for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party government. His administration has poured billions into upgrading India's old and outdated transport network, part of its vision to transform the country into a developed nation by 2047. Among these ambitious projects is the construction of several tunnels and highways in the mountainous Himalayan region which has been criticized by some environmentalists who say the heavy construction could damage fragile topography already feeling the effects from the climate crisis. Modi's Char Dham Highway project, a multimillion-dollar infrastructure plan to improve connectivity in the state of Uttarakhand, came under fire in November 2023 when an under-construction mountain tunnel collapsed, trapping dozens of workers inside for several days with little water and oxygen. In August that year, more than a dozen workers were killed after a bridge under construction collapsed in the northeastern state of Mizoram. In June, a four-lane concrete bridge that was being built across the River Ganges in the eastern state of Bihar collapsed for the second time in just over a year, raising questions about the quality of its construction. — CNN
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Modi visits restive Indian region to inaugurate world's highest railway bridge
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first trip to the restive Kashmir region since April's deadly tourist massacre, to inaugurate the world's highest railway bridge. His Friday visit to India-administered Kashmir comes weeks after a brief but deadly conflict between India and Pakistan. The nuclear-armed neighbors traded missiles, drones, and artillery shelling for four days after New Delhi blamed the massacre on its neighbor, which Pakistan denies. Decades in the making, the arched Chenab Bridge sits 359 meters (about 1,180 feet) above the river of the same name – that's 29 meters (over 95 feet) higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower. Costing more than $160 million with a length of 1,315 meters (4,314 feet), the bridge is part of the first railway link between Kashmir and the rest of India. Modi's Hindu-nationalist government has moved to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country, including revoking a constitutional provision that allowed it to set its own laws in 2019. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed by India, Pakistan and China. All three administer a part of the region, one of the most militarized zones in the world. In addition to the Chenab Bridge, Modi also inaugurated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, which connects key cities in India-administered Kashmir to the rest of India. For Modi, who swept to power more than a decade ago on a ticket of nationalism and a promise of future greatness, investments in infrastructure like the Chenab Bridge and the broader rail link project can be seen as a powerful tool for social integration and political influence. Since he was first elected in 2014, the prime minister has rapidly expanded the region's road and rail connectivity, building networks that connect disparate towns with major cities. In 2019, New Delhi revoked a constitutional provision giving India-administered Kashmir the autonomy to set its own laws. The southern and eastern portions of the region known previously as the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir became two separate union territories, bringing them under direct control of New Delhi – a move Modi claimed would promote stability, reduce corruption and boost the economy. The Chenab Bridge is being hailed as a major win for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party government. His administration has poured billions into upgrading India's old and outdated transport network, part of its vision to transform the country into a developed nation by 2047. Among these ambitious projects is the construction of several tunnels and highways in the mountainous Himalayan region which has been criticized by some environmentalists who say the heavy construction could damage fragile topography already feeling the effects from the climate crisis. Modi's Char Dham Highway project, a multimillion-dollar infrastructure plan to improve connectivity in the state of Uttarakhand, came under fire in November 2023 when an under-construction mountain tunnel collapsed, trapping dozens of workers inside for several days with little water and oxygen. In August that year, more than a dozen workers were killed after a bridge under construction collapsed in the northeastern state of Mizoram. In June, a four-lane concrete bridge that was being built across the River Ganges in the eastern state of Bihar collapsed for the second time in just over a year, raising questions about the quality of its construction.
DW
05-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
India media crackdown after Pakistan cross-border fighting – DW – 06/05/2025
Adil Bhat | Sharique Ahmad 06/05/2025 June 5, 2025 India's Hindu-nationalist government has responded to the cross-border conflict with Pakistan with a crackdown on critics. What's behind this curtailing of free speech? DW's Adil Bhat reports.
