In what can be seen as part of PM Modi’s efforts to explain his latest foreign policy decision vis a vis Canada to people in the country, Sanjay Verma, Indian High Commissioner who was recalled from Canada, was seen across TV channels recounting the way he was treated in that country. Verma was not only sharing incidents of personal trauma — a frightening incident when Khalistani assailants attacked him with a sword in Alberta while he was with his wife. Verma described how the Khalistani “goons” came dangerously close to injuring him, noting that they wielded a sword — not a ‘kirpan’ religious symbol — but a weapon capable of causing harm. “When I was in Alberta a sword came around 2-2.5 inches close to my body…”he said. He also revealed how Canada was forcing students with valid visas to apply for asylum. “The Khalistanis have made Khalistan into a business in Canada. In the name of Khalistan, they do human trafficking, drug trafficking and gun-running. They earn a lot of money through that and also through gurudwaras”. He said that extreme hard-line Khalistanis are only about 10,000 in numbers, and supporters amount to perhaps 1 lakh in a Sikh population of about 8 lakhs. He also shared how gangster Goldy Brar who was put on the wanted list after India’s insistence has “disappeared”. “Canada has its gangs, and Goldy Brar is a name that we gave to them, Lawrence Bishnoi is a name that we gave to them. Verma, an IIT graduate and a nuclear scientist has previously served as India’s ambassador to Japan and Sudan.