‘Canada looks to work with India to get justice for ’84 riots victims’

Canadian defence minister Harjit Singh Sajjan said he was ‘disappointed’ with Punjab CM’s remark —calling him a Khalistan sympathiser— and said his government was keen to work with India to bring justice to the victims of 1984 Sikh riots.

Responding to a question from Hindustan Times during a conference call with Canada-based media on Wednesday, Sajjan said, “I was disappointed with the chief minister of Punjab’s comments.”

He, however, said he would not be deterred from strengthening the ties between India and Canada.

“I’m focused on building my relationship with India, being able to discuss important issues including the issue of 1984 as well,” he said while referring to the anti-Sikh violence that erupted in the country following the assassination of the then Prime Minister and Congress leader Indira Gandhi.

The riots have become a sensitive issue in India-Canada ties after the Ontario Assembly recently passed a motion that described the event as “genocide”. Sajjan also said he explained to Indian officials that the vote in the Ontario assembly was caused by a private member’s motion and there was a difference between the ruling Liberal Party of the province and that of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the federal level.

The issue has figured in Sajjan’s meetings with Indian officials and ministers but he steered clear of calling the riots genocide. “Our government looks at working with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s government in dealing with and getting justice for the victims of the organised massacres in 1984.”

He added, “I appreciated their efforts on this and look forward to them actually moving forward even further.”

Sajjan also claimed there was no pro-Khalistan movement within Canada and added “if there was any evidence, any type of intelligence, our security forces would be looking at this immediately”.