Report blames Canada PMO
TORONTO: The Canadian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) may have been responsible for inviting to official receptions during Justin Trudeau’s visit to India in February a man convicted of attempting to assassinate a Punjab minister. The invitation resulted in rapid fraying of relations between the two countries.
The revelation is among the highlights of a 50-page special report prepared by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) and tabled in Canada’s Parliament on Monday. The report states that the Canadian high commission in New Delhi prepared the invitation lists for official receptions in Mumbai and New Delhi and provided them to the PMO.
On February 10, before Trudeau’s arrival in India, the “PMO added an additional 423 names to the list of invitees and instructed the High Commission to extend invitations to those individuals for both events,” the report said. It added that “included on the PMO list” was Jaspal Atwal, who was convicted on terror charges related to the Khalistan movement when he attempted to assassinate a visiting minister from Punjab state in 1986.
Atwal’s presence at the Mumbai reception on February 20, where he was photographed with Trudeau’s wife, triggered a controversy that led to the high commission rescinding his invitation to a second event in New Delhi. The damage was aggravated when then National Security and Intelligence Advisor Daniel Jean briefed Canadian reporters and alleged that “rogue elements” in India may have tried to sabotage Trudeau’s visit.
In New Delhi, government officials declined to comment.