The proposed review of the national-security certificate system has brought into focus once again the case of a suspected Sikh extremist, deported from Canada to Belize but not traceable there now.

Iqbal Singh, whom the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) termed as a member of the terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa, was arrested under the system.

Iqbal Singh arrived in Canada from India in 1991. Complaining of persecution in India he applied for and was granted refugee status in 1993. He lived in Toronto, and operated trucking company there.

In April 1998 he was arrested and jailed under the national security certificate used to arrest and deport non-Canadians considered a threat to national security. While in jail Singh applied to immigrate to Belize in exchange for investing in the country. He was deported to Belize where he lived until media reports there exposed his background. He has not been sighted in Belize since.

A section of press in Canada quoted officials in Belize to report that there is no trace of Iqbal Singh. He is said to have left Belize but there is no information on his present whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan has said that the Federal Government is reviewing the anti-terrorist law. This could result in scrapping of the program altogether or revamp of the law.