Punjab CM meets Justin Trudeau, says they discussed Khalistan funding issue
Amarinder Singh said that the Canadian prime minister has ‘promised to look into the matter’.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday met Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in Amritsar. Singh also interacted with Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan.
After the meeting, Singh told media persons that he had brought up the Khalistan issue with Trudeau. He said organisations working for the independent state of Khalistan were receiving funds from several countries including Canada.
“I took up with Trudeau the concerns about militancy [in Canada] we had raised. He promised to look into the matter,” Singh said.
On Monday, Trudeau had said in Mumbai that he supports “one united India” and this policy is “core to what Canada is”. “We have been diligent in ensuring that we are taking our responsibility seriously in cracking down on extremism,” he had said.
Many observers have speculated that he has not received due welcome on his trip to India because of his alleged support for Sikh separatist Khalistani groups in his country.
Bikers follow Trudeau’s convoy
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police said on Wednesday that they had apprehended two bikers who followed Trudeau’s convoy on Monday and performed stunts on their vehicles, PTI reported. The incident occurred on Monday at around 7.30 pm near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
After Trudeau’s convoy passed, the two bikers joined his security convoy near Kalanagar and started performing stunts. They were arrested and have been remanded in judicial custody till March 3.
‘Empower women’
At a gathering at the Canada India Business Forum on Tuesday, Trudeau said both countries needed to bring more women into their workforce. “India only has 26% women in the business workforce and this number needs to increase...Empowering women is not just a nice thing to do, it is the smart thing to do,” he said, according to The Times of India.