London:Colin Bloom, former adviser to the UK government, has voiced apprehensions regarding the escalating incidents of Khalistan extremism and emphasized that the issue has intensified due to the insufficient response of “Western governments” in addressing the menacing and aggressive conduct of extremists.
Bloom stressed the imperative for both the British and Canadian governments to adopt more proactive measures to confront this matter, warning that if left unattended, the situation could spiral “out of control.”
Colin Bloom is renowned as the author of ‘The Bloom Review, Does Government do God?’. He was also appointed as an Independent Faith Engagement advisor by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with the objective of providing recommendations on how the government should engage with religious organizations in England.
In an exclusive interview with the news agency ANI, Colin Bloom expressed his viewpoint, stating, “What I think we’re seeing at the moment is a rise of pro-Khalistan extremism…Now, look, just for the record, I am 100 per cent in favor of free speech and people being free to think and believe and support pretty much anything that they want, so long as they don’t harm and intimidate and harass other people.”
Bloom further added, “But what we saw with the Indian High Commissioner was very much an overreach of free speech…This was, in fact, limiting the free speech of the people who run the Gurdwara in Glasgow and of the High Commissioner himself.”
Earlier on the same day, a planned interaction of the Indian High Commissioner to Britain, Vikram Doraiswami, at the Glasgow Gurdwara, was disrupted by “extremist elements.” The Scotland Police have responded to the incident and initiated an investigation.
However, Mr. Bloom also underscored that the majority of the Sikh population in the UK does not subscribe to extremist ideologies and is feeling betrayed by these radical elements within their community.
He stated, “And I think what we’re seeing is this increase in activity partly because Western governments have not done enough to address and tackle this rising extremist and sinister and aggressive behavior.”
“I’m very concerned that the vast majority of British Sikhs, many of whom wrote to me and I interviewed as part of my evidence gathering for the report, are being let down by these very small numbers within their own community and by the British government and I guess would be the same in Canada, the Canadian government who are not doing enough to protect them from these fringe elements that exist within their community.”
Regarding the escalating extremism in Canada, Mr. Bloom emphasized the necessity for the UK, US, Canada, and other Western governments to collectively address the issue. He called for an enhancement in the British government’s efforts to safeguard British Sikhs who desire no involvement with such extremist elements.
He stated, “I think the British government do need to improve their game. I think they’ve done a lot in the last few years, but I think they need to do a lot more to protect the vast majority of British Sikhs who want nothing to do with this nonsense…I guess that the Canadian government and the American government and other Western governments also need to do more to make sure that this small minority is not ruining the lives of others.”
The British author cautioned that if the issue is not addressed, it will escalate, resulting in more harm to people. He also advised authorities to scrutinize online materials more closely.
“And I think that is where we’ve got to be really very careful because if this issue with these extremists within the Sikh community, if it’s not addressed, if it’s not dealt with, then it will get out of control and more people will be intimidated, more people will be harmed…There’s no doubt in my mind that there are extremists within all faith communities, but there are extremists within the Sikh community that they need to be dealt with,” Bloom emphasized.
Notably, Colin Bloom’s report for the UK government cautioned that certain pro-Khalistan Sikh groups aim to artificially bolster their influence by lobbying political bodies under the guise of human rights activism, projecting a false appearance of legitimacy.
It is essential to recognize that the subversive, sectarian, and discriminatory activities of these groups do not reflect the true nature of the majority of British Sikh communities.
By AFP
