Western countries are increasingly allowing organized Khalistani protests, which experts say is giving them diplomatic leverage while slowing India's progress.

On India's Independence Day, Khalistani supporters vandalized the Indian flag near the Indian embassy in Toronto. Similar protests happened in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, all organized by Sikhs for Justice, a group banned in India.

This isn’t new; such protests have been happening in Canada and other Commonwealth countries before. Dr. Ash Narain Roy, Director of the Institute of Social Science, told Sputnik India that these Khalistani protests are becoming more organized and frequent. He pointed out that India isn’t getting the support it hoped for from these countries, which might be encouraging these groups to act more boldly.

Dr. Roy believes that Canada has a strong and influential Punjabi community that is both wealthy and politically active. Because of this, Canadian politicians are careful not to u...