Pakistani businessman set on fire in Canada

A Pakistani-Canadian businessman, identified as Rahat Rao, was rushed to hospital in critical condition after he was set on fire in Surrey City of Canada’s British Columbia province.

Local media outlets reported that the Pakistani businessman, who had been living in the city for over 30 years, was attacked by an unidentified man near his currency exchange business.

According to CBC News, Rao’s brother-in-law Munir Riasat confirmed his identity to the outlet while revealing that his condition remains critical in the hospital after suffering serious burns in the attack which occurred on August 2.

Surrey police said that the attacker allegedly threw a fire accelerant on the Pakistan businessman’s body and lit him on fire.

The accused soon fled the scene in a stolen car which was later recovered by police.

Reports said that Rahat Rao had been actively participating in protests following the death of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2022.

The 45-year-old’s death rocked Canada’s Sikh community. A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau triggered a diplomatic crisis with New Delhi when he cited evidence of Indian government involvement in Nijjar’s death.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police later laid murder charges against three Indian men in connection with Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death and said they were probing possible ties to the Indian government.

Nijjar was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India. The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi, which had labeled Nijjar a “terrorist” in 2020.

As Canada scrutinises foreign interference in its elections, Singh called for a separate inquiry focusing solely on Indian interference in Canadian affairs.