Captain lauds Sajjan’s stand on Khalistan
CHANDIGARH: Ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to Amritsar, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday welcomed a statement by two Canadian federal ministers of Indianorigin that they did not sympathise with the Khalistan demand.
CHANDIGARH: Ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to Amritsar, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday welcomed a statement by two Canadian federal ministers of Indian-origin that they did not sympathise with the Khalistan demand.
Amarinder, who had refused to meet Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan during his visit to Punjab in April last year, said he was looking forward to meeting Trudeau.
In a statement here, Amarinder welcomed the “categorical denial by Sajjan, the first Sikh to be defence minister of a western country, of taking a pro-Khalistani stance, and congratulated Trudeau for creating the necessary environment against secessionist forces (demanding separate Sikh homeland) believed to be operating from his country”.
“Sajjan’s statement, carried by the Canadian press on Wednesday, that he and fellow Sikh minister Amarjit Sohi, ‘neither sympathise with nor espouse the Sikh nationalist movement, which is bent on creating a separate country called Khalistan in India’s Punjab region’ indicated that the Canadian PM had clearly sent out a strong signal within his party and government that he would not allow his country’s soil to be used for any anti-India activities,” the CM said.
“The latest statements by Sajjan and Sohi, who has also made it clear that he does not sympathise with the (Khalistani) cause, have paved the way for better relations with Canada, which shares strong roots with India in view of the large Sikh population settled there,” Amarinder said.
Reiterating that he had always found Trudeau to be a fine human being, Amarinder said he looked forward to meeting the Canadian leader during his visit to India, including Punjab, in February.
“The (Trudeau) visit will give Canada and Punjab an opportunity to strengthen trade ties for our mutual benefit,” Amarinder said.
The CM was upset with Canadian authorities earlier as the Indian-origin ministers and some MPs in Canada had openly supported the secessionists’ agenda for Khalistan. The Canadian government, under Trudeau, had
CANADIAN PRESS CARRIED STATEMENT BY SAJJAN AND FELLOW SIKH MINISTER SOHI THAT THEY NEITHER SYMPATHISE WITH NOR ESPOUSE THE SIKH NATIONALIST MOVEMENT
objected to Amarinder Singh’s Canada visit in April 2016 to meet NRIs ahead of the Punjab assembly elections in February last year.
Amarinder was forced to cancel his visit abroad as Sikh radical elements and groups opposed it and represented to the Trudeau government.
“Divisive forces propagating terrorism should not be encouraged at any cost by any nation. Such activities pose a serious threat to global peace and hence not allowed to flourish in any part of the world. Nurturing or supporting separatist forces always proves detrimental in the long run, not only to countries against which they are unleashed but also to those which allow such elements to operate from their soil,” Amarinder added.
Canada had always been a friend of India, especially Punjab, whose people had contributed significantly to the western nation’s progress, Amarinder said.