New Delhi: Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) Chandra Arya has appealed to Justin Trudeau government to recognise the threat posed by Khalistani extremism in the country. The threat from Khalistani extremism, he said, has affected the members of the Hindu community the most. “I too have experienced these concerns firsthand,” he said.
"I have heard concerns from Hindus across Canada regarding recent developments. As a Hindu Member of Parliament, I too have experienced these concerns firsthand. Last week, I could safely participate in a Hindu event in Edmonton only under the protection of RCMP officers, as a group of Khalistani protesters staged a disruptive demonstration against me," Arya said in a post on X.
The MP said that, as Canadians, they expect their national government to collaborate with countries affected by terrorism and extremism and protect its citizens. "The persistence of Canadian Khalistani extremism is rooted in the political patronage these extremists enjoy," he said.
Chandra Arya also had a message for fellow Hindu-Canadians in his video message on X. "We are one of the most educated and successful communities in this country, contributing greatly to Canada’s progress. Yet, our low profile is often mistaken for weakness by politicians," he said.
His comment comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the alleged involvement of Indian government agents and its diplomats in the assassination of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Gurdwara in British Columbia. Trudeau has accused India of involvement in the crime but is yet to provide "hard evidence" to back his claim.
The big confession was made by Trudeau on Wednesday while testifying before the Canadian Parliament’s Foreign Interference Commission.
"We chose to continue to work behind the scenes to try and get India to cooperate with us… And our response was, well, it's within your security agencies, you should be looking into how much they know you should be engaging,' Trudeau stated.
"And at that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof," he added.
India Condemns Trudeau's Cavalier Attitude After His BIG Admission On Nijjar Killing
Reacting to the Canadian PM's big admission, the MEA, in a late-night release said the "cavalier behaviour" of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was responsible for the "damage" in India's relations with Canada.
"What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along — Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats. The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone," the MEA said in its post-midnight statement.
Diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Ottawa hit a new low last September after Trudeau claimed that India was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Trudeau revealed that when India asked for evidence, at that time it was only intelligence.