Dinner invite to Khalistani activist adds to Canada PM Justin Trudeau’s controversial visit

NEW DELHI: Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) were left red-faced on Thursday after Jaspal Atwal, a Khalistani activist found guilty of attempting to assassinate an Akali Dal minister in Canada in 1986, was photographed with Trudeau’s wife and with a Cabinet minister in Mumbai earlier this week.

Atwal was also on the guest list of the Canadian High Commissioner’s dinner for the visiting Canadian delegation on Thursday, but the invitation was hurriedly ‘rescinded’ during the day.

In what is widely seen as a snub, Trudeau, who arrived in India last Saturday, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior Indian leaders only on Friday, a day before he leaves.

Confirming that the photographs of Atwal with Trudeau’s wife Sophie as well as with Canadian Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet were taken at a Bollywood event in Mumbai on February 20, Atwal told Postmedia, a Canadian media major, that he had travelled to India on his own on February 11 and was not part of any official government delegation. He also said he wasn’t planning to attend the Delhi dinner anyway since he had business in Mumbai.

The MEA, on the other hand, said it was unaware how Atwal had got a visa, and was investigating the issue with the relevant authorities. Home Ministry sources, however, said Atwal’s name did not figure in the current blacklist maintained by immigration authorities.

Addressing the regular press conference on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also noted that the Canadian High Commission, describing it as an ‘oversight’, had withdrawn the dinner invitation to Atwal and the matter was thus closed.