Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Sunday said that he discussed the issue of Khalistan extremism with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit and told him that while Canada will defend “freedom of expression”, it won’t allow violence and hatred. He further said that “actions of few” don’t represent the entire community or Canada.
“Both the issues came up. Over the years, with PM Modi, we have had many conversations on both of those issues. Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest and it is extremely important to us. At the same time, we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred,” Trudeau said when asked if the issues of Khalistan and foreign interference did come up during his discussions with PM Modi.
“I think on the issue of the community, it is important to remember that the actions of the few do not represent the entire community or Canada. The flip side of it, we also highlighted the importance of respecting the rule of law and we did talk about foreign interference,” he added.
PM Modi asks Trudeau to deal with extremist elements
During their discussions, PM Modi asked Trudeau to deal with extremist elements in Canada that are “promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises and threatening the Indian community and their places of worship.”
“The nexus of such forces with organised crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Canada is home to a number of Khalistani extremists and several incidents of their extremism have been reported in the country over the last few years. Earlier in June this year, Khalistani extremists organized a tableau parade celebrating the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by his Sikh bodyguards.
A similar incident was reported in March this year when Khalistani supporters gathered outside the Indian Embassy in Canada and raised anti-India slogans. An Indian journalist present at the sport was also reportedly assaulted by them. New Delhi criticized both the incidents and asked Ottawa to not allow its land for anti-India activities.
Ahead of the G20 India Summit, several metro stations in the national capital Delhi were also defaced with anti-India graffiti by pro-Khalistani supporters.