Ivison: Back in April 2017, the chief minister of Punjab refused to meet defence minister Harjit Sajjan, after accusing him and four other Canadian ministers of being “Khalistanis.” (Khalistan is the would-be Sikh homeland in the Indian state of Punjab.)
Jean quarterbacked efforts to address Indian concerns about Canada’s role in the perceived rise of extremism. He travelled to India to meet his counterpart and there were also delegations by the RCMP and CSIS, emphasizing Canada’s support for a strong and united India.
Despite those efforts, a rash of stories appeared in the Indian press alleging Canadian complicity in Sikh extremism. Trudeau did not help his case by attending a Sikh event in Toronto the previous year, which featured Khalistan flags and posters of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh extremist leader killed by Indian troops at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.
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