India to Send Multi-Nation Delegations; US to Tax NRI Remittances

On 22 May, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked Taliban-ruled Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi for support during the recent escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. It is ironic because India does not recognize the Taliban government. Since Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in India in 2014, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done 88 foreign trips, visiting 73 countries. The narrative among BJP voters is that Modi is respected by all world leaders. Yet, no country—except Afghanistan—openly supported India in its recent engagement with Pakistan. To change the world’s perception, India is sending 59 leaders in seven delegations to 32 countries to explain India’s point of view and decry Pakistan’s support to terrorism in India. Many of the leaders are from the opposition parties. For example, Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tiwari from Indian National Congress (INC), Asaduddin Owaisi from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Each delegation includes one Sikh or Panjabi. Among those are INC’s Amar Singh, Member of Parliament from Fategarh Sahib, nominated Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) MP Satnam Singh Sandhu, Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MPs Ashok Kumar Mittal and Vikramjit Singh Sahney, veteran BJP leader Surinderjeet Singh Ahluwalia, and former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu. On 15 May, an Indian technical team reached the United Nations to present evidence about Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack to the Monitoring Team of the 1267 Sanctions Committee that decides on the global listing of terrorist groups. Meanwhile, a new tax proposal by the US could significantly impact Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). The bill, introduced on 12 May includes a provision to impose a 5% tax on international money transfers made by non-citizens. India is the world’s top recipient of remittances, with around $83B sent annually from abroad. 28% of it is from the US. With the new tax, these remittances could see a decline (earlier coverage).

Mark Carney’s Liberal Party took oath in Canada on 14 May. Among those sworn in is Anita Anand, the first Hindu woman to be sworn in as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Anand has donned many hats since she joined politics in 2019, including Minister of National Defence and Minister of Transport. Anand was born to Indian parents in 1967 in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Her father was from Tamil Nadu, and her mother from Panjab (Jandiala Guru, Amritsar). Anand’s appointment is critical at a time when Canada’s relations with India are strained. Among others from Panjab are Maninder Singh Sidhu as Minister of International Trade. Sidhu's appointment comes at a time when Canada is battling US’ aggression towards Canada on tariffs. Ruby Kaur Sahota as Secretary of State for Combatting Crime. Sahota, a lawyer, is expected to play a key role in developing modern criminal justice strategies and public safety reforms. Randeep Singh Sarai as Secretary of State for International Development. Sarai, an entrepreneur, will focus on humanitarian outreach, global partnerships, and aid diplomacy. In other news, according to a statement from Peel Regional Police (PRP), on 8 May, the department’s Special Victims Unit took 78-year-old Harmohinder Singh into custody. Investigators allege that Singh approached an under 12-year-old girl and sexually assaulted her multiple times at a park in Brampton. He was charged with three counts of sexual assault of a female under 17 and three counts of sexual interference. Harmohinder is in custody and is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. Also, a Sikh businessman, operating a trucking safety and insurance consultancy, was shot dead on 14 May outside his office in Canada’s Mississauga. The deceased has been identified as Harjeet Singh Dhadda. Dhadda had recently received threatening calls from extortionists and had reported the matter to police. Dhadda was originally from Bazpur, Uttarakhand (earlier coverage).

After the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, on 15 May, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, '...even at the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan saying we are striking at terrorist infrastructure and not military and the military has an option to stand out and not interfere.' Indian defence expert Parvin Sawhney says he has never heard such a bizarre claim. Sawhney asks, ‘Did India expect Pakistan to stay quiet? This message cautioned the Pakistan Air Force to stay at maximum alert and Pakistan must have informed all world capitals of impending Indian air strikes.’ On 17 May, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), Rahul Gandhi from Indian National Congress linked Jaishankar’s remark to probable losses suffered by the Indian Air Force. Gandhi asked, ‘How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result?’ According to cyber security experts, India was not just dealing with escalation of hostilities on its northern and western borders, India was attacked in cyberspace too by state-backed hackers and hacktivists from Pakistan, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with backing from China. Apart from defence Public Sector Units and their vendors, critical infrastructure like ports, airports, power grids, Indian Railways and airlines were also hit. Meanwhile, on 14 May, after Pakistan returned Border Security Force soldier Purnam Kumar Shaw arrested from the Ferozepur sector, India also released a Pakistani Rangers trooper who had been in custody. On rumours about a possible nuclear leak at Pakistan's Kirana Hills—believed to be a storage facility for nuclear warheads in Sargodha district in Panjab, Pakistan—the International Atomic Energy Agency has clarified that there was no radiation leak from any nuclear facility in Pakistan. In the days of the hostilities, UK Member of Parliament and Chair of Defence Committee Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said, ‘We are very concerned. Recognizing our historic ties, it is incumbent on our govt. to be at the forefront of efforts to de-escalate tensions between two nuclear powered countries India and Pakistan’ (earlier coverage).

On May 7, amid escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan, the Indian Union Ministry of Home Affairs closed down Kartarpur Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur for pilgrims ‘till further orders.’ Given there is a ceasefire, on 16 May, the Akal Takht (Eternal Throne, AT) acting Jathedar (leader) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj called upon the governments of India and Pakistan to reopen the Corridor. The Pakistan authorities maintain that the Corridor would remain open on their end as a ‘goodwill gesture’. The corridor was opened on 9 Nov 2019, on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. It was closed during the COVID-19 years but reopened after that. In 2024, both countries extended the term of the Corridor by another five years. On 19 May, India media quoted Major General Kartik Seshadri, General Officer Commanding, 15 Infantry Division, that during recent hostilities, Pakistan wanted to bomb Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple). However, India’s Akash missiles and L-70 air defence guns prevented the repeated attacks. Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha, the Army's in-charge of air defence said, 'It was very nice that the Head Granthi (hymns’ reciter) of the Golden Temple allowed us to deploy our guns. It is possibly for the first time in many years that they switched off the Golden Temple lights so that we could see the drones coming.' The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) disapproved of the statements. Darbar Sahib Head Granthi Giani Raghbir Singh said he was on leave and abroad in those days but has called the statements false and a matter of investigation. India Army later denied deploying guns at Darbar Sahib. Meanwhile, on 12 May, the SGPC removed the ghumatis (cupola) that the Damdami Taksal (a Sikh seminary) had erected at the martyrdom site of Baba Deep Singh on the Darbar Sahib premises amid ongoing renovation works. Darbar Sahib manager Bhagwant Singh Dhangera said the cupolas were not aligned with 'the Sikh psyche.' He likely meant Sikh architecture (earlier coverage).

On 14 May, 49 members, including 40 elected to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), and 9 nominated ones were administered oath by chairperson of the Gurdwara Election Commission Justice (retd) Harjyot Singh Bhalla in Panchkula, Haryana. Bhupinder Singh, registrar of the Commission informed, 'The members later chose Joga Singh, an elected member from Jagadhri as pro-tem chairperson.' Joga Singh, a senior member affiliated with veteran leader Didar Singh Nalvi’s Sikh Samaaj Sanstha (Sikh Society Organization) will propose a date for the next meeting where the Executive Committee will be chosen. The election to HSGMC was held on 19 Jan and 21 independents had won. Sikh preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal had lost in the elections but now the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana has nominated him to the HSGMC. According to the gazette notification issued on the day of the oath taking, unlike most other committees including the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) even nominated members can vote to elect the HSGMC office bearers. With this, the battle for control of HSGMC has started. Meanwhile, on 19 May, influencer Dhruv Rathee from Haryana based in Berlin, well known for bashing the BJP, released a new video on Sikh hero Banda Singh Bahadur. Using AI animation, the video also depicted Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh. It was a superficial, popular rendering filled with historical inaccuracies. This also brought up the question of the representation of Sikh Gurus. The Sikhs objected to it and after about 2.5M views, Rathee withdrew the video. On 12 May, Akal Takht (Eternal Throne, AT) acting Jathedar (leader) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj said, ‘Sahibzade Ajit Singh Nagar is the sacred land of martyrs and should remain pure.’ He added, the city should not have any tobacco, bidi (cigarettes), paan (betel nut), or halal meat (Islamically permissible) shops. Implementation of such rules is a matter of the administration's discretion (earlier coverage).

Amidst Panjab’s ongoing tussle with Haryana over the release of additional 4.5K cusecs water, on 11 May, the Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said the state government will conduct an audit of funds it contributes to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and will withhold further payments until the audit is completed. Mann said, 'Despite Panjab contributing 60% to BBMB’s total expenditure, the board moved court against us. Ironically, Punjab is now expected to bear 60% of the legal expenses for a case filed against itself.' While Panjab covers 60% of the board’s operational expenses, the remaining 40% is shared among Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh. On 13 May, the Panjab government said that the Bhakra Mainline (BML) canal is under repair and does not have enough water-carrying capacity. Meanwhile, on Panjab's plea in the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) seeking a review of the 6 May order, on 14 May, the PHHC sought response from the union govt., Haryana and BBMB. PHHC has fixed 20 May as the deadline for the response. Mann called it a ‘moral victory’ for Panjab. However, a perusal of data on water utilisation by the three partner states during the past decade, available with the Water Resources Department of Panjab, revealed that between 2014-15 and 2025, utilization of water by Panjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan was 64-91%, 89-110%, and 101-130%, respectively. This is grave carelessness on the part of Panjab and indicates why other states are demanding extra water. Their demands have been met in previous years and they are accustomed to the extra water being released. Meanwhile, the Sriganganagar chapter of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has opposed the Panjab Assembly resolution to amend the 1981 agreement on water sharing signed among the states. They argue the resolution is not in the interest of Rajasthan, especially Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, and Bikaner districts. SKM Rajasthan appealed to the farmers to be ready for an agitation against any move to cut Rajasthan’s water share (earlier coverage).

On 13 May, at least 27 people died in the Amritsar district after consuming illicit liquor. This is the third major hooch tragedy in the state over the last five years leading to a total of 176 deaths. The deaths were reported in the Bhangali, Patalpuri, Marari Kalan, and Therewal villages of the Majitha subdivision in Amritsar. Most of the victims were laborers and factory workers. The police have launched a probe and have arrested nine accused and suspended four officials including the district's Excise and Taxation Officer and the Deputy Superintendent of Police. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party Member of Legislative Assembly and former Indian Police Service officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh slammed his own government, alleging those in the illicit liquor trade are now 'part of the regime and running the show.' Indian National Congress' Member of Parliament, Gurjeet Singh Aujla said the 'War on Drugs' had no connection with ground reality, arguing that if it did, such a tragedy wouldn't have occurred. On 14 May, the police seized 600 litres of methanol suspected to be connected to the hooch tragedy. Methanol is a light, colorless organic chemical compound which is poisonous when ingested. It is illegally added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol— normal consumable alcohol. Panjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has now asked the union govt. to take immediate steps to regulate the use of methyl alcohol or methanol under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act. Earlier in 2025, the Panjab govt. had boasted about increasing its excise revenue to USD 1.2B. However, such an increase suits those who can buy regular Indian Made Foreign Liquour. An excise official said the state has forgotten its commitment to the poorest in the state who earn the lowest are hooked to cheap hooch: 'For such persons, hooch or homemade liquor is an easy and cheap alternative to get intoxicated' (earlier coverage).

Asserting that Panjab is the food bowl and sword arm of the nation, on 10 May, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said the union government should give a special package to the border state. Mann put forth his views during an all-party meeting convened by Panjab Governor and Union Territory Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria. Referring to India's recent hostilities with Pakistan, Mann said, Panjab always faces the first brunt during every war adding the state needs special treatment on the lines of Jammu & Kashmir for its enormous contribution to the nation. He said, the state govt. will also raise the demand for a border area allowance for doctors, teachers, and other workers. Panjab Bharatiya Janata Party president Sunil Jakhar also supported the idea of a special economic package for the state. On 16 May, Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu had a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi: 'We discussed key initiatives for Panjab’s development, focusing on growth and prosperity for our state.' Bittu also discussed the issue of water shortage for the border state, possibilities of Panjab gaining from the Indus Waters Treaty being placed in ‘abeyance’, feasibility of constructing canal systems for Doaba (central Panjab) and Majha (northern Panjab) regions, and the upcoming Ludhiana West assembly by-poll. However, the issue of Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh incarcerated at Dibrugarh Jail in Assam did not come up. Meanwhile, on 18 May, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal demanded an immediate review and scrapping of the Panjab govt. decision to acquire 24,311 acres of land across 32 villages in Ludhiana for developing new urban estates. He said the move was anti-farmer and 'aimed solely at filling the coffers of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.' In a statement Badal said, ‘It is condemnable that this decision has been taken without consulting or taking the consent of farmers, whose land will be taken. Thousands of farmers will be rendered landless and this will affect their way of life irreversibly’ (earlier coverage).

After the Pahalgam attack on 22 Apr, the photograph of a woman sitting motionless beside her husband's body went viral. The woman was Himanshi Narwal whose husband naval officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal was among the victims. A few days later, when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters were targeting Muslims and Kashmiris, Narwal said, 'People going against Muslims or Kashmiris—we don't want this. We want peace and only peace.' This invited the wrath of the troll army which has backed the Hindutva BJP over the last decade. The trolls abused her, outed her pictures from earlier and laid allegations on her. The Sikhs saw this happen during the Farmers Protest 1.0 (2020-21). The troll army labelled the Sikhs as Khalistani, separatists, anti-national, and made many derogatory comments. On 10 May, after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the troll army abused him and his daughter over social media. After the ceasefire, Madhya Pradesh (MP) BJP minister Kunwar Vijay Shah called the Defence spokeswomen Lieutenant Colonel Sofia Qureshi 'sister of terrorists' prompting the MP High Court (MPHC) to castigate Shah for passing 'scurrilous' remarks and using 'language of the gutters.’ The MPHC ordered the state police to file a First Information Report against Shah. On 16 May, MP Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda said the Army ‘bows in front of the Prime Minster (Narendra Modi).’ The defence forces of any country serve the country not its head but this message equates Modi with India. Even railway tickets now display the Operation Sindoor (vermilion marker for married Hindu women) logo with a picture of Modi saluting. This is clearly BJP trying to benefit from the escalation of hostilities. Hoardings displaying Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate Sanjeev Arora for Ludhiana West by-polls saluting the Indian Army’s operation have also mushroomed across the city. Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rued that the PM did not even mention the deaths due to shelling by Pakistan and India around the Line of Control in his speech on 12 May.

Journalist turned author Jagtar Singh released his book Sikh Struggle Documents: 1920-2022 on 17 May. Part 1 of the book is divided into chapters on Panjab and Sikh history. Part 2 of the book presents original documents from the last century which have not yet come out in the public domain. Reviewer Roopinder Singh says, as one reads the original texts, one is informed about the dexterity to respond to changing circumstances and vacillating stands of political leaders. These stands clash with the ideological clarity to which they claim allegiance. The demands of the Sikh leaders were reasonably similar to those of other minorities; assurances were given, and they were not fulfilled. Jagtar opens his documentation with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's 1921 call to boycott the Prince of Wales who was visiting India and goes on to give 181 entries. Through this compendium, we see how political leaders navigated changing situations, especially the place of Panjab and Sikhs in India, both before and after Independence. We see efforts to articulate the position of the Sikhs on linguistic, religious, and political issues. Many documents are eloquent statements of cause, which was largely buried in attention-seeking reporting of the time and thereafter. A case in point is Sant Harchand Singh Longowal’s 1985 letter to Members of Parliament. The author has done well by including manuscripts of various shades of thought, and political and ideological persuasion. The book should be handy for those who seek to understand this region, its people and politics. The English translation of Panjabi and Hindi original texts empowers future writers and scholars, although a list of documents would have been handy. Some positions are challenged and some surprises spring up as we explore the collection, allowing us to examine layers of interconnected events and avoid monochromatic interpretations based on knee-jerk reactions. By doing so, the author helps us understand the Sikh struggles, political and religious.