“Utter BS”- Harjit Singh Sajjan responds to anti-Sikh Globe And Mail article

A Globe And Mail (GAM) article suggesting Canada’s former Sikh Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan showed favour to saving Sikhs in an Afghanistan emergency evacuation has been called “Utter BS” by the former Defence Secretary, whilst the World Sikh Organization also called the article “influenced by bias against his Sikh identity”.

The article – written by Steven Chase and Robert Fife, journalists with a history of misrepresenting Sikh issues – was released on 27th June by the right-wing Toronto based newspaper, claiming “Sajjan instructed Canadian special forces to rescue about 225 Afghan Sikhs…” which “took resources away” from “getting Canadian citizens” in a 2021 operation during the US withdrawal and Taliban takeover.

The article immediately prompted a wave of anti-Sikh rhetoric on social media, due to its salacious allegation of Sikh bias by then cabinet member Sajjan, a longtime senior member of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party. Some outright called for Sikhs to be prevented from being in government positions due to this alleged bias, whilst others called for Sajjan to be “charged with treason”, in hyperbolic reactions to the outlandish allegations towards him.

Sajjan himself dismissed the allegations during a press conference when pressed on the GAM claims, saying they also show a lack of understanding of military operations.

Community figure Jaskaran Sandhu described the article as having an agenda to claim “Sikhs wield disproportionate influence in government to the detriment of Canada”, whilst the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation – one of the world’s leading Afghan Sikh support groups – went even further to “unequivocally dispute” the GAM claims. In a statement, the group say any rescue of Sikhs was part of the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada policy, whilst also reminding “keyboard warriors” that during that period in Afghanistan “it was made absolutely clear that it was the responsibility of the Afghan Sikhs…to make their own way to the airport” for evacuation.”

The World Sikh Org also highlighted how the article ignores the persecution Sikhs have faced in Afghanistan, which was peaking around the period. Just over a year before the operation, ISIS massacred 25 Sikhs – including a three-year-old – in a Kabul Gurdwara, and less than a year after there was another Gurdwara attack in Kabul too. The WSO also highlighted how a “failed last-minute evacuation attempt” was “ironically” being “mischaracterized as special treatment”.

The article comes along with an ongoing upping of anti-Sikh articles from largely right-wing supporting media orgs and individuals. As highlighted by Sikh PA this week, pro-Indian Nationalist propagandists have been found trying to fund right-wing Canadian voices into taking up anti-Sikh rhetoric.

Sikh PA have previously raised concerns about anti-Sikh conduct from Globe And Mail, whilst just this week the WSO also highlighted GAM’s propagation of Indian nationalist narratives around the Hardeep Singh Nijjar story. Last year Sikh media voice Rena Heer also highlighted issues around GAM’s coverage of Sikh stories.