Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau administration’s decision to remove all references to Khalistani extremism in its 2018 report on terrorist threats was a threat to Indian and global security.
Capt. Amarinder said that ruling Canadian Liberal Party’s knee-jerk decision was clearly aimed at protecting its political interests in an election year, which he said could have serious consequences for Indo-Canadian relations in the long run.
“Trudeau was playing with fire with his decision to assuage inflamed domestic passions through this ill-considered move,” he added.
Capt. Amarinder pointed out that he himself had given proof to the Canadian Prime Minister, during the latter’s India visit, of his country’s soil being used to spread the separatist Khalistani ideology against a friendly country. Mr. Trudeau had been informed of Khalistani activists being involved in financing terror activities in India from Canada, said the Chief Minister.
Pointing to the well-known fact that Mr. Trudeau’s party was inundated by such activists and separatists, the Chief Minister dubbed the erasure of the various references to Khalistan and Khalistani organisations from the latest threat report as an unpardonable act in the eyes of the peace-loving global community.
“Such an act amounted to endorsement of the terror activities and de facto promotion of extremism,” said Capt. Amarinder as he cautioned the Canadian government against encouraging hardliners through such actions, which he said were detrimental to the interests of both India and Canada.
Sikh radical group Dal Khalsa has meanwhile welcomed the removal of the reference to “Khalistani Extremism” from the Canada Public Safety Report 2018. Dal Khalsa general secretary Paramjit Singh Tanda, said in a statement that the correction of the mistake by the Canadian government was a victory of lobbying and diplomatic efforts of Sikh Canadians and the diaspora.
