India's strategic frenemy

The Indian government is accountable to the people of India, and should not feel obligated to adhere to rules set by the US if doing so compromises India’s sovereignty and national security.

- SEMU BHATT

In my article, "Pannun Assassination Plot and India-US Relations", published in The Sunday Guardian in December 2023, I wrote: "Although there is a grudging acceptance that the Modi-led NDA will win a third term, if it manages 40-50 fewer seats than the current tally, it will be a desirable outcome for the West as it will weaken Modi." Therefore, the recent attack by America+ on India and the Narendra Modi government, right after a strong performance of the BJP in the Haryana elections that gave the party and NaMo a morale boost following the underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha polls, is unsurprising.

ROGUE NATIONS?

America's Five Eyes ally and neighbour has been a preferred hub for terrorist groups spanning various ideologies, religions, and ethnicities. In that sense, it is truly global and diverse.

From Sikh terrorist groups to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, and various shades of Islamist terrorists, including AI Qaeda and ISIS-you name it, Canada had or has it. Various terrorist organisations, their cells, and their front groups operate freely on Canadian soil, engaging in a range of activities: fundraising, extortion, human trafficking, logistical support for terrorist activities, procurement of weapons and technological equipment, and recruitment.