Victory of diplomacy

The city of Harmandar Sahib provided Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a welcome made warmer by the thawing of relations between his government and that of the Punjab state, led by Capt Amarinder Singh. Diplomacy scored a victory as the two leaders rose to the occasion when they met. They provided the right optics for the media and the discussions that took place were reassuring for both. Trudeau’s statement, “We will always stand against violent extremism, but we understand that diversity of views is one of the great strengths of Canada,” gave the clarification that Punjab needed, tempered with an eye on his own electorate.

Punjabis have a special place in Canada and this minority has a visible presence in Canadian politics, including Trudeau’s Cabinet. Some groundwork had been done before the two leaders met. Canadian defence minister Harjit Singh Sajjan and minister of infrastructure and communities Amarjeet Sohi had both issued public statements distancing themselves from the demand for Khalistan. The warm welcome in Amritsar and the meeting between the PM and the CM should lay a foundation for better relations henceforth. 

Punjab has provided Canada with talented immigrants who have found the liberal atmosphere there a fertile ground for growth, both economic and social. They have made a place for themselves in Canadian society, even as they have brought a new verve to their adopted land. At the same time, they can contribute to the land of their birth with much more than just remittances. Indeed, many Indo-Canadian projects have proved successful, including some that focus on building civic infrastructure like rural sanitation. Now that there is a dialogue at the top, the bonhomie should percolate down and hopefully translate itself into substantive cooperation. Ratcheting up of rhetoric never achieves anything other than to give demagogues a chance to commandeer the discourse. For now, diplomacy has won.