Canada doesn't support any separatist movement:Trudeau assures Amarinder

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau today assured Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh his country does not support separatism in India or elsewhere even as he received a list of nine Canada-based operatives allegedly involved in promoting radicalism.
As the 'Khalistan' issue featured prominently in the talks between the two leaders in Amritsar, an official said that Trudeau told Amarinder Singh he had dealt with threats of separatist movement all his life and was fully aware of the dangers of violence.
The two leaders held a 40-minute long meeting at a hotel after Trudeau paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and visited the Partition Museum. Trudeau is on the fourth day of his week-long visit to India during which he will hold talks on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

There was speculation on whether a meeting between Amarinder Singh and Trudeau would take place, but the chief minister cleared the air days before the Canadian premier's arrival here.
"Really happy to receive categorical assurance from Canadian PM @JustinTrudeau that his country does not support any separatist movement. His words are a big relief to all of us here in India and we look forward to his government's support in tackling fringe separatist elements," Singh tweeted after the meeting.
Trudeau and his family offered prayers at the Golden Temple with the premier describing the visit to the holiest of Sikh shrines as an "honour" and stressing that they were "filled with grace and humility".

Clad in an off-white 'kurta-pyjama' and with a saffron-coloured cloth covering his head, Trudeau along with his wife and two of his three children, bowed with folded hands before the holy book at the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine.

Canada's first lady, Sophie Grgoire Trudeau, and the children were also attired in traditional Punjabi outfits. The prime minister's wife wore a light green salwar-kameez with a 'dupatta'.
"What an honour to be so well received at such a beautiful, meaningful place. We are filled with grace and humility," he wrote in the visitors' book before leaving the shrine.
Chief Minister Singh submitted a list of nine Canada-based operatives alleged to be involved in target-killings and other hate crimes in Punjab, including financing and supplying of weapons for terrorist activities, an official said. Singh urged Trudeau to initiate stern action against such elements.

The Canadian premier assured Amarinder Singh that his country did not support "any separatist movement in India or elsewhere," said Raveen Thukral, the chief minister's media advisor.
The "categorical assurance" from Trudeau came after Amarinder Singh sought the Canadian premier's cooperation in cracking down on fringe elements, constituting a miniscule percentage of Canadian population, he added.
Citing the separatist movement in Quebec, Trudeau said he had dealt with such threats all his life and was fully aware of the dangers of violence, Thukral said.
The chief minister gave Trudeau a list of nine Category 'A' Canada-based operatives alleged to be involved in hate crimes, terrorist activities and trying to radicalize youth and children here, Thukral said.

Significantly, Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Punjab Local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu were also present at the meeting.
Amarinder Singh shook hands with Sajjan during the talks.
Last year, Amarinder Singh had refused to meet Sajjan when he visited Punjab accusing him of being a "Khalistani sympathiser".
The Punjab police believes that the conspirators and financiers in the targeted killing cases in the state were operating from foreign soil including Canada, UK and Italy.
Freedom of speech was enshrined in the Indian Constitution but separatists and those propagating violence had lost any such right as they were rejected by the people of Punjab, Singh said at the meeting. He stressed that people contesting elections on the plank of a separate Sikh state ended up losing their security deposits, said Thukral.

Trudeau assured Amarinder Singh that his concerns will be addressed, saying he looked forward to closer ties with India, particularly Punjab, which he was happy to see progressing well.
Amarinder Singh called for cooperation between India and Canada on the issues of terrorism, crime and drugs. Responding to concerns raised in some quarters on reports of human rights violations, the chief minister said aberrations were always dealt with strictly.
With a large Punjabi diaspora settled in Canada, and some even finding place in Trudeau's cabinet, relations between India and Canada continue to get stronger, he added.