Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s Khalistan Issue That Just Won’t Die
As Justin Trudeau gets his week-long trade mission to India going, the Khalistan issue refuses to go away.
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Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau readies to touch down in India for a week-long trade mission along with his trusted ministers and a big delegation of business persons, the Khalistan issue that has been simmering in the background for years has become the elephant in the room.
With Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh having accused Canada’s Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan of being a “Khalistan sympathiser” and refusing to meet him when he visited in 2017, the tables now appear to have turned. Though Singh was reported to have expressed a desire to meet Trudeau on his visit to the state and even guide him around the Golden Temple, the Canadian press reported on the eve of his visit that the Trudeau government “had no plans” to meet with the Punjab CM – despite Trudeau planning a visit to Punjab to strengthen trade ties.
Canada hopes the mission will bring agreements, like the Free Trade Agreement currently being negotiated, closer to fruition. Trudeau is also being accompanied by a large business delegation of prominent Canadian business persons keen to remove barriers to trade and investment.
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