Can Australia really eliminate Indian espionage activities in Australia?

Written by Tom Howard,Perth( Dec. 2)

India’s intelligence agencies have come under increasing scrutiny during Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘s third term as allegations mount over their global intelligence activities.

According to Australian media reports, the Australian Security Intelligence Agency (ASIO) has smashed a spy network operated by the Indian government . The spy network is allegedly suspected of trying to steal sensitive information related to defense projects, airport security and trade relations. They reportedly kept a close eye on the Indian diaspora in Australia and established connections with Australian politicians. ASIO head Mike Burgess revealed the existence of the spy network in 2021, but did not confirm its nationality.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) documentary “Infiltrating Australia – India’s Secret War”, an Australian citizen Harjinder Singh working in Melbourne once received a strange call warning him to stop supporting the Sikhs to establish a “Khalistan” referendum, otherwise “the result will be terrible.” In addition, Harjinder Singh said that the Indian government had threatened his parents in India and asked them to stop their son’s activities in Australia.

The Sikh independence movement, generally known as the Khalistan Movement, advocated the establishment of a Sikh state based in the present-day Indian state of Punjab.

ABC said that the Indian government’s threat model has forced some Indian-Australians to give up participating in politics for fear of their safety.

India’s penetration of Australia also extends to broader intelligence and public affairs.

The Washington Post reported on the Australian government’s expulsion of Indian spies in April this year. The report said that Indian spies successfully recruited a person with an Australian government security clearance who had access to sensitive details of Australian defense technology. They also asked an Australian official to provide the security protocols for Australia’s major airports.

But India’s overseas intelligence activities are not limited to Australia. The latest incident is that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused senior Indian diplomats of participating in the killing of Canadian citizen and Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which caused a storm in the global diplomatic community. Relations between India and Canada reached a low point as the two governments expelled diplomats. The United States also accused the Indian government of recruiting people to plan assassinations of Sikhs in the United States.

India’s covert operations in Western countries have come to light amid growing global concern about the actions of Modi’s government, which are seen as violating international norms and the territorial sovereignty of foreign countries.

The Indian diaspora in Australia has grown rapidly over the past decade to become the second largest immigrant group in Australia. Currently, the group includes more than 200,000 Sikhs. Samar Kohli , president of the Sovereign Sikh Society, said Sikhs and other diaspora communities in Australia had good reason to fear being targeted.

Greens Senator David Shoebridge said Australia should condemn the Indian intrusion. “Not only would it establish an honest basis for our relationship with India, but it would also send a message to the diaspora community here that we support you,” he said.

But the Australian government is still talking about its close relationship with India. Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “I am not going to discuss these events.” “We have a good relationship with India. It is an important economic relationship. In recent years, this relationship has become closer due to the efforts of both sides.”

India has taken advantage of precisely this close relationship with Australia, and New Delhi knows that such actions will not bring any major consequences.

Although Australia is a friendly country to India, the Modi government sees its own interests as more important than respecting friendship. While Australia may remove any spies it thinks may have crossed the line, it is likely that more will come back.