Canada, India red-faced over invite to Khalistan activist

Canada, India red-faced over invite to Khalistan activist

Context:

Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office and the Modi government has faced a major embarrassment after it emerged that a convicted terrorist and Khalistan activist from Canada had been part of the delegation’s events in Mumbai and was personally invited to a reception by the Canadian High Commission in Delhi.

What has happened?

• Photographs of Jaspal Atwal with a Canadian minister and wife of the Canadian PM have rekindled the debate on Justin Trudeau’s stand on pro-Khalistan movement
• The controversy surfaced after photographs of the invitation to the event in honour of Mr. Trudeau at “Canada House” in Delhi on 22nd February as well as the event on 20th February in Mumbai appeared in Canadian media.
• Calling the invitation a mistake, Mr. Trudeau said it had been sent by a member of the Canadian parliament.
• The Ministry of External Affairs said it was inquiring into how the Indian High Commission in Canada had issued Mr. Atwal a visa.

About Jaspal Atwal:

• Jaspal Atwal is an Indian-origin businessman with ties to the Khalistan movement
• He was formerly associated with a banned Sikh-separatist outfit- International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), thought to be responsible, along with the Babbar Khalsa, for the 1985 mid-air bombing of Air India flight 182, killing 329 persons.
• Jaspal Atwal was one of the four men convicted for shooting of Malkiat Singh Sidhu , a minister in Punjab in 1986 on the Vancouver island
• Though the verdict was overturned, Mr. Atwal admitted to the parole board that he was the shooter that day