iPb Cong urges MEA to seek Canadian PM's intervention to

The Punjab Congress has urged the Centre to take up with the Canadian prime minister a case pertaining to threat issued by pro-Khalistani elements to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in April.

About two months back, videos had surfaced purportedly showing men, suspected to be based in Canada, giving threats to the chief minister at an event in British Columbia's Surrey on April 22.

Leaders of the Congress party in Punjab alleged that a "cover-up" in the Canadian government's decision to close its probe into the "brazen threats" issued by the pro-Khalistanis against Amarinder.

"The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) should seek the Canadian Prime Minister's intervention to ensure that those guilty of using the country's soil to issue open and violent threats to the Punjab chief minister are not allowed a free run," state party leaders Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Ramanjit Singh Sikki said in a joint statement.
 

They demanded to know the status of the case filed by the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) against the chief minister to prevent him from visiting Canada.

"The Punjab Congress has called for activation of all international diplomatic channels to put pressure on the Canadian government to take necessary steps to check the proliferation of anti-India forces on their soil," the leaders said.

Canada should be asked to reopen the case and get it independently investigated in the interest of justice and fair play, and to ensure that its land is not used for divisive propaganda and spreading hatred, they said.

"It is evident that a proper inquiry had not been carried out with respect to the formal complaint, reportedly, lodged by the Indian High Commission in Ottawa to Global Affairs- Canada," the leaders of the state Congress committee said.

They recalled that Amarinder was forced to cancel his Canada visit last year following the complaint and case lodged against him by the SFJ on "frivolous" grounds.

Canada should take strong steps to prevent such "frivolous" cases against Indian leaders, especially when these were obviously aimed at playing into hands of anti-India forces like the ISI to embarrass India and project a wrong image of the country, the leaders said.