"Extremely Unfortunate": Sikh body On Strain In India-Canada Ties

Amid a diplomatic row between India and Canada, the general house of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee Wednesday passed a resolution urging the two countries to remove bitterness in their relations.

The SGPC's general house also passed resolutions over issues including the release of Sikh prisoners, the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal and the simplification of SGPC's voter registration process.

The resolution on the India-Canada row said due to the situation between the two countries, Sikhs and Punjabis are facing hate propaganda for no reason. This is extremely unfortunate, towards which the two governments should give serious consideration, it said.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June on Canadian soil. India has rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated".

The SGPC resolutions also demanded ending "discrimination" against the Punjabi language and taking care of Sikh heritage in Pakistan.

The general house of the SGPC assembled here to elect its president and other office bearers, including the general secretary, senior vice president and junior vice president.

In a resolution demanding the release of Sikh prisoners, it was said that this "discrimination" was a violation of human rights. The Sikh prisoners are not being released even after completion of their sentences, it said.

Through this resolution, it was demanded from the Centre and concerned state (Delhi and Karnataka) governments to stop discrimination against the Sikhs and release the Sikh prisoners immediately.

The SGPC has been seeking the release of Sikh prisoners including Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh's assassination case and Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, a 1993 Delhi bomb blast convict.

Through another resolution, a commitment was expressed to protect Punjab rivers and oppose the SYL canal. It was said that the SGPC will play a leading role in every struggle for water of Punjab.

In the resolution passed regarding the alleged discrimination against the Punjabi language, it has been said that in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the people of Punjabi origin are allegedly forced to submit applications in the government offices for their work in Hindi and English languages, which should stop immediately.

In another resolution, the government of Pakistan was requested for the maintenance and preservation of Sikh heritage and historical Gurdwara Sahibs there.

It was said that many places were neglected after the Partition in 1947, to which the government and the Evacuee Trust Property Board should pay special attention.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)