Capt slams Trudeau govt, says it has succumbed to pressure
Monday, 15/04/2019
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CHANDIGARH: Accusing the Justin Trudeau government in Canada of succumbing to political pressure to remove all references to Khalistani extremism in its 2018 report on terrorist threats, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said the move was a threat to Indian and global security.
Amarinder expressed shock at the ruling Canadian Liberal Party’s kneejerk decision, aimed at protecting its political interests in an election year, saying it could have serious consequences for Indo-Canadian relations in the long run. “Trudeau is playing with fire with his decision to assuage inflamed domestic passions through this ill-considered move,” Amarinder said.
Amarinder said he himself had given proof to the Canadian PM during his India visit of his country’s soil being used to spread the separatist Khalistani ideology.
“Trudeau had been informed of Khalistani activists being involved in financing terror activities in India from Canada,” he said. “It was obvious that Trudeau had played safe in view of the upcoming elections in Canada, giving in to pressure within his country,” he added.
He also warned the Canadian government against encouraging hardliners through such actions, which he said were detrimental to the interest of both India and Canada. The world could not afford to fan extremism in any form, which was what the Trudeau government was effectively doing with such illthought moves, he added.
