Rejecting Canadian Government’s claims that Indian agencies were behind the presence of convicted Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal in the functions of the Canadian High Commission, the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday said any suggestion of this kind is baseless and unacceptable. MEA said India has nothing to do with the presence of Atwal in the functions of the Canadian Government.
MEA’s statement came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office briefed Canadian media saying Atwal’s presence in embassy events was arranged by “factions within the Indian Government who wanted to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from getting too cozy with a foreign Government they believe is not committed to a united India.”
“We have seen the recent exchange in the Parliament of Canada regarding two invitations issued to Jaspal Atwal by the Canadian High Commissioner, for functions hosted in honour of the Canadian Prime Minister in India. let me categorically state that the Government of India, including the security agencies, had nothing to do with the presence of Jaspal Atwal at the event hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner in Mumbai or the invitation issued to him for the Canadian High Commissioner’s reception in New Delhi. Any suggestion to the contrary is baseless and unacceptable,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
Upon his return from India, Trudeau is facing flak from the opposition for an embarrassing blunder of allowing a cosying up by a convicted terrorist. Atwal was pictured with Trudeau’s wife Sophie at an event in Mumbai and was also invited by the Canadian High Commissioner Nadir Patel for the reception hosted in the honour of Trudeau. Following a media uproar, the invitation to Atwal was cancelled by Patel.