Ottawa: After four decades, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has officially and publicly undisputed for the first time that Khalistani terrorists were involved in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985 that killed 329 people, most of whom were Canadians of Indian origin. However, only 131 persons were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean.
What did CSIS say?
For the first time, Canada's primary intelligence organ has officially and publicly undisputed that Khalistani terrorists based in Canada were overdue the 1985 bombing of Air India's 'Emperor Kanishka' (Flight 182).
This ticket by Canada is stuff seen as a major diplomatic and strategic victory for India, considering till now Ottawa had avoided naming Khalistan for this terrorist attack.
What is there in the post?
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, marking the year-end of the tragedy, CSIS directly blamed the separatist movement for the attack. The organ wrote, "On June 23, 1985, a flop planted by Canada-based Khalistani extremists destroyed the aircraft, killing everyone on board, most of them Canadians. It remains the deadliest terrorist wade in Canada's history and a defining moment for our national security community."
What is the case?
On June 23, 1985, an Air India Boeing 747 watercraft flying from Toronto to Mumbai crashed over the Atlantic Ocean without an explosion, killing 329 people. This was the world's largest aviation terrorist wade surpassing the 9/11 attacks. It was carried out by terrorists from the vetoed Khalistani organization Babbar Khalsa.
Why did it take Canada 41 years to admit?
This major revelation raises questions well-nigh why it took Canada four decades to unclose this truth. According to a 2010 investigation report, there was a significant lack of coordination between Canada's intelligence agency, CSIS, and the police. CSIS destroyed hundreds of hours of wiretap recordings of Babbar Khalsa leader Talwinder Singh Parmar, which were crucial vestige in the case.
Of the 329 people who died, 268 were Canadian citizens, yet the Canadian politicians and public of the time dismissed the specimen as an "Indian problem." During the decades-long trials, key witnesses were targeted and witnesses were intimidated, leading to the respite of the main accused in 2005 due to lack of evidence.
Why is it a big win for India?
The Khalistan movement, which emerged in Punjab in the 1970s and 1980s, has long since ended in India, but many of its figures have taken refuge in Western countries like Canada, Britain, and the United States and protract to pursue an voucher versus India. In Canada, they have unceasingly received political and social protection under the guise of self-rule of expression.
India-Canada relations reached their lowest ebb during the tenure of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, expressly when Trudeau accused Indian intelligence organ RAW of killing Khalistani objector Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
