Unease grows in Punjab as Canada-India tensions deepen

Steps from the old quarter of Amritsar, the holiest city for the Sikh community, 62-year- old Ashok Kumar tended his newspaper stand, with the dailies perched precariously on the seat of a scooter, and sighed. The headlines are dominated by the news — in English and Punjabi — of the bitter diplomatic fight between India and Canada, and Kumar doesn't like it.

"This shouldn't be happening," said Kumar, especially with what he called "baseless speculation" from Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

The newspaper vendor told CBC News that everyone in his corner of Punjab is paying close attention to the growing rancour between the two countries, following the bombshell statement from Trudeau that Canada is pursuing "credible allegations" that link Indian government agents to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, on Canadian soil.

Nijjar was campaigning for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan. New Delhi considered him a terrorist.

India has angrily rejected Canada's allegations, calling them "absurd" and politically motivated.

The anxiety is palpable on the streets of Punjab, the only Indian state with a majority Sikh population, with most people, like Kumar, concerned that regular Punjabis will feel the brunt of the worsening ties between the two once-friendly countries.

Kumar, in an interview with CBC News in Punjabi, talked of "a lot of rumours swirling around," and fear that Canada might follow India's lead, after the latter suspended visa services for Canadian citizens wanting to visit India. Canadian authorities have given no indication that they intend to stop granting visas to Indian citizens due to the tensions with India.

But mostly, the newspaper seller is worried about the renewed spotlight on the secessionist Khalistan movement, which has some traction in diaspora communities but garners little support in India. India considers the movement violent and a threat to the country's territorial sovereignty.

"Sikhs in Punjab don't demand Khalistan. They want peace and prosperity," Kumar said. "That's why they go to Canada to improve their earnings."

Ramandeep Kaur, 20, admitted she isn't someone who usually follows geopolitical news, but this week has changed that. She was also feeling anxious as she left work at a private ESL school on a Saturday afternoon.

"Students feel really disappointed with [what's happening]," said Kaur, who grew up in one of Punjab's largest cities, Patiala, dreaming of becoming a nurse in Canada. "I applied for a visa and I don't know what will happen in the future with this issue. 

"I'm worried about it because I invested a lot of money on this [dream]," she added.

Canada is a top destination for tens of thousands of Indian international students each year, many of whom come from Punjab.

For both Sarabjit Kesar, 52, and her close friend Kamaldeep Ghumman, 53, the past week has been "tense and filled with pressure," they said, following India's announcement it would temporarily stop issuing visas to Canadian citizens.