Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Trudeau is on his first state visit to India.

Canada has withdrawn an invitation to an alleged Sikh extremist to attend an official dinner with its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while he is in Delhi.

Mr Trudeau, on a first state visit to India, said Jaspal Atwal should never have been invited to Thursday's meal.

Jaspal Atwal, a Canadian citizen of Indian origin, was convicted and later acquitted of trying to assassinate an Indian minister in 1986.

He is accused of having been a member of a now banned Sikh extremist group.

Earlier this week he was photographed alongside Mr Trudeau's wife, Sophie, and one of his cabinet ministers at an event in Mumbai.

Mr Trudeau, who meets his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Friday, has been fending off criticism that his government is soft on Sikh extremists during his week-long trip.

"Obviously we take this situation extremely seriously," Mr Trudeau told reporters in Delhi. "As soon as we found out we rescinded the invitation immediately."

He said the MP from his party "took full responsibility" for the dinner invitation.

Mr Atwal, now a businessman in the Canadian city of Surrey, travelled to India separately and was not part of the Canadian delegation. Indian officials say they are investigating how he was granted a visa.

Jaspal Atwal told Canada's Postmedia network that he did not plan to attend Thursday's dinner, which was being hosted by Canada's high commissioner, as he is in Mumbai on business.

He was convicted along with three others of shooting Indian minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu while he was in Vancouver on a personal visit. All four convictions were later overturned on appeal.

The minister was hit twice but survived the attack. He was assassinated in India in 1991.

Mr Atwal was a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) at the time of the attack, CBC News reports. It was later banned in a number of countries, including Canada and India.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Trudeau visited Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple

News of the dinner invitation comes amid speculation that the Canadian prime minister has received a lukewarm reception in India, a charge both countries have denied.

Canada has a large Sikh community and Mr Trudeau's cabinet includes four Sikh-Canadians.

His administration has faced accusations that it is too soft on separatists who support a Sikh independence movement, also called the "Khalistan movement".

It seeks to create an independent homeland for the community in the Sikh-dominated northern state of Punjab.

Last April, Punjab's top elected official, Amarinder Singh, refused to meet Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, alleging he was a "Khalistani sympathiser".

But Mr Trudeau met Mr Singh this week who later told the media they had discussed the "Khalistan issue". He added that Mr Trudeau had assured him that Canada "does not support" separatist movements anywhere in the world.</s>New Delhi: A convicted Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal, who was active in the banned International Sikh Youth Federation, posed with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie Trudeau at an event in Mumbai on February 20, during the Canadian first family’s visit to India. Jaspal was also invited for a formal dinner with the Canadian Prime Minister, hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner on Thursday here.

However, the invite is being rescinded now, as per reports of Canada’s CBC News. “I can confirm that the High Commission is in the process of rescinding Mr. Atwal’s invitation,” PMO spokeswoman Eleanore Catenaro said, as per the report. Atwal has also been photographed with the Canadian Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi in Mumbai on February 20.

Jaspal Atwal was convicted of the attempted murder of Punjab minister, Malkiat Singh Sidhu, on Vancouver Island in 1986. At the time of the 1986 shooting, he was a Sikh separatist active in the pro-Khalistan International Sikh Youth Federation. He and three others were convicted in 1987 of trying to kill Malkiat Singh Sidhu. Trudeau, who is in India on a week-long state visit, has been under pressure throughout his tour to answer Indian concerns about Sikh separatism in Canada.</s>Putting an end to all the speculations that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was snubbed during his week-long India visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday took to his Twitter account and said that he was looking forward meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. Taking it to Twitter, PM Modi said, “I look forward to meeting PM Justin Trudeau tomorrow and holding talks on further strengthening India-Canada relations in all spheres. I appreciate his deep commitment to ties between our two countries.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only just informed that he was looking forward to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but also mentioned he hoped that his Canadian counterpart and his family had a very enjoyable stay so far. PM Modi especially mentioned about meeting Trudeau’s children Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien. The Prime Minister also shared a picture from his 2015 Canada visit, when he PM Trudeau and Ella-Grace.

Also Read: Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal spotted at Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s event in Mumbai; Delhi invitation scrapped

A lot of speculations were doing the rounds in media that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s India visit was being snubbed by central government minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi but the prime minister by putting a tweet announcing that he was looking forward to meet Justin Trudeau has put an end to it.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s India visit along with his family was surrounded in a controversy after his wife, Sophie Trudeau, was photographed with a Khalistani terrorist, Jaspal Atwal. The issue came to light after several media channels shared the photographs of Jaspal Atwal standing next to Justin Trudeau’s wife at an event held in Mumbai on February 20. Jaspal Atwal was convicted in the attempted murder of a Punjab Minister in 1986. The controversy was further highlighted after Khalistani terrorist was even included in the guest list of Canadian PM dinner event.

However, speaking out on the issue, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Thursday said that obviously, we take this extremely seriously. He should never have received an invitation. As soon as we received the info we rescinded it. A member of Parliament had included this individual.

Also Read: Justin Trudeau says Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal should never have received invitation

Also Read: NPA files on NewsX: India’s biggest investigation into NPAs</s>Dressed in black shervani and golden duppata, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau accompanied by wife Sophie Trudeau danced to the beats of dhol at a venue which was decorated much like a big, fat Indian wedding. (Photo: Screengrab)

New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who arrived in India on Saturday on his maiden visit, toured the country with his family sporting vibrant coloured shervanis and Kurtas.

Trudeau, who arrived in Delhi, during the last leg of his visit, had showed off his Bhangra moves at a dinner reception in the national capital. Before taking the stage at the event at Canada House in New Delhi, Canada's premier broke into a Bhangra - something he has been known to do back home.

Dressed in a black shervani and a golden duppata, the 46-year-old Canadian PM accompanied by wife Sophie Trudeau danced to the beats of dhol at a venue which was decorated much like a big, fat Indian wedding.

His dancing skills were rewarded with appreciative cheers and whistles from the crowd.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Bhagra moves were captured by journalist Rohit Gandhi from Democracy News Live. The video has already crossed 75,000 views and have been liked by over 800 twitteratis and retweeted 411 times.

The Trudeaus landed in India on Saturday evening and have so far visited the Taj Mahal, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Amritsar. 

 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.</s>Canada PM Justin Trudeau in India: After experiencing the feel of India in his visits to Amritsar, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Agra, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally got a warm reception in the national capital today. Trudeau not only got a super star reception, but also enthralled the crowd with his Bhangra moves. Trudeau’s love for Indian culture is very evident and since the day he has landed in India, the Canadian PM and his family have expressed their love for everything- INDIAN.

On Thursday night, everyone present at New Delhi’s Canada House swooned over Justin Trudeau’s bhangra. Yes! The charming Canadian PM was truly in the spirit of India as he made an entrance to the Canada House. Dressed in a black sherwani, Trudeau showed his moves and wooed everyone at the Canada residence. Well, this is not the first time that Justin Trudeau’s bhangra moves has stunned everyone. In 2012, Trudeau dressed in a white kurta-pyjama and stole, showed his dancing skills at an Independence Day event by the Indo-Canada Association of Montreal. The video showed a young Trudeau grooving to the beats of a Bhangra song from the Bollywood movie Dil Bole Hadippa! And everyone remembers, how effortlessly Trudeau managed to get his beats right. Justin Trudeau is one of the most likeable Prime Ministers in the world. And his likeable and accessible nature has impressed many.

Earlier, on Thursday, PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter and expressed his feelings of meeting Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Hoping that the Canada PM and his families trip was enjoyable, PM Modi said that he is looking forward to meet his Canadian counter-part and especially his children. Following his Mumbai visit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau went to Amritsar on Wednesday. He paid obeisance at the Golden Temple along with his family. PM Trudeau arrived in India along with his family for a week-long visit to the subcontinent, during which he will hold talks with his Indian counterpart on topics ranging from issues, defence and counter-terror cooperations.</s>Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on Friday welcoming him with a hug ahead of a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, putting to rest speculations about the government cold-shouldering the visiting dignitary.

After Trudeau, his wife Sophie, and children Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien, alighted from a car on the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Modi shook hands with Trudeau and then hugged him. On Thursday evening breaking his silence since the Canadian Prime Minister’s arrival in India on February 17, Modi said that he looked forward to the bilateral meeting on Friday.

“I appreciate his (Trudeau’s) deep commitment to ties between our two countries,” Modi tweeted. At the Rashtrapati Bhavan, while Modi shook hands with Sophie Trudeau, Xavier and little Hadrien, he had a special hug reserved for Elle-Grace.

On Thursday, the Indian leader had posted a picture of him playfully tweaking Elle-Grace’s ears with Trudeau smilingly looking on during a visit to Canada in 2015. “I particularly look forward to meeting his children Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien,” Modi said in his tweet.

Hadrien, who will turn four this month, was the cynosure of all eyes at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as he stumbled and struggled to hold on to his hat as Modi playfully stroked his cheeks. The ceremonial reception optics came after much speculation that Modi and his government was cold-shouldering Trudeau during his eight-day state visit to India.

The visiting dignitary and his family have since visited Agra, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Amritsar. While Modi did not accompany Trudeau to Ahmedabad, a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in Amritsar on Wednesday was organised only at the last moment.

Ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have been frosty of late as Canada was being seen as offering a platform to separatists demanding an independent Khalistan. On Thursday, fresh storm blew after it came to light that the Canadian High Commission here had extended an invitation to a convicted Khalistan separatist, Jaspa Atwal, for a reception in honour of Trudeau.

The High Commission then rescinded the invitation while the Indian External Affairs Ministry said that it was ascertaining how a visa was issued to Atwal who holds a Canadian passport. Trudeau later said that the matter was being taken “extremely seriously” and that Atwal should never have received an invitation.

The visit of Trudeau, who assumed office in November 2015, comes after the visit of Modi to Canada in April that year. Following Friday’s bilateral summit between the two leaders, a number of agreements were expected to be signed.</s>Mumbai, Feb 21 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spent an evening with Bollywood personalities like Shah Rukh Khan, Anupam Kher and Farhan Akhtar discussing stronger ties between the Hindi and the Canadian film industries.

Trudeau met the Bollywood celebrities on Tuesday night here. He even shared a photograph with Shah Rukh and tweeted: "Tonight, we celebrated stronger ties and new co-production opportunities between Bollywood and the Canadian film industry. And who better to help than Shah Rukh Khan himself. Great to meet you!"

Anupam, who met Trudeau and his family, said it was a pleasure meeting the Canadian Prime Minister.

"What a charming and great conversationalist he is. Talked about people, culture and, of course, cinema," Anupam added.

Farhan tweeted: "Was an honour and a pleasure to meet the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and his lovely wife, Sophie. Sir, your leadership in the discourse for ending gender discrimination serves as constant inspiration to us all."

Trudeau arrived here on Saturday on an eight-day visit at the invitation of his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.

The visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest such as trade and investment, energy, science and innovation, higher education, infrastructure development, skill development and space.

Cooperation in security and counter-terrorism as well as exchange of views on global and regional issues of mutual interest will also form important components of the visit.

Modi will hold bilateral talks with Trudeau on Friday following which a number of agreements are expected to be signed.

The trip comes nearly three years after Modi visited Canada in April 2015. The last visit of a Canadian Prime Minister to India was in November 2012.</s>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets the people during his visit to the holy Sikh shrine of Golden temple in Amritsar, India February 21, 2018. Source: Reuters/Adnan Abidi

CANADA’S handsome, charismatic Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks like he’s had a lot of fun during a week-long official visit to India – his first as the country’s leader. In terms of diplomacy, however, it mightn’t have gone as planned.

From the time he got off the plane in the world’s second largest country, the Canadian premier has barely donned a western-style suit – opting for traditional Indian garb instead.

SEE ALSO: Canada diplomat gets flak over tweet about serene beaches in conflict-torn Burma

Trudeau and his family did what any self-respecting world leader would do in India – they went straight to the Taj Mahal to get that classic Princess Diana shot.

Sadly for Trudeau, his tour has been overshadowed by suggestions of a lukewarm reception by the government and a series of photo ops featuring the Trudeau family in coordinated Indian attire that have raised eyebrows in both countries.

The trip is partly aimed at shoring up support for Trudeau’s Liberals among the politically important ethnic vote in key regions. In 2016, around 4 percent of the Canadian population were of Indian origin.

Moreover, there were around 100,000 Indian students attending university or college in Canada as of 2017 – an increase from just 31,975 in 2015. Many are choosing Canada over the United States due to the anti-immigration messages of President Donald Trump, reports the Hindustan Times.

But the trip has also been criticised for being light on official government business.

“I don’t know if Justin Trudeau thinks that international trade missions are reality TV shows, but they are not,” Conservative party leader Andrew Scheer, Trudeau’s main opponent, told Reuters.

The PM has changed out of Indian attire a few times, for example at a business forum in Mumbai, but … not for long.

The fam visited the ancient Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in Old Delhi, where Trudeau might have finally had the chance to speak Arabic to Indians.

Last year, the PM ruffled some feathers when he greeted Canadian Indians for the Hindu holiday of Diwali by saying “Diwali Mubarak” – Mubarak meaning “blessed” in Arabic (the language of Muslims).

With around 1.5 percent of Canadians being Sikh, Trudeau had to make sure to stop off at Darbar Sahib – the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar.

But things went bad when a convicted terrorist and Sikh separatist was invited to dinner at the Canadian High Commissioner’s in Delhi – really pissing off a lot of Indians.

Ujjal Dosanjh, a former health minister from Trudeau’s own party, told the Toronto Star in an interview that the PM could “perhaps salvage our relationship (with India), but I think it hit rock bottom with this.”

The trip has also encouraged plenty of cynicism from the media, with a VICE article entitled “Justin Trudeau Won’t Stop Putting His Hands Together in a Kurta Until He Has All of the Brown Vote” running the subheading: “Justin Trudeau really, really wants Indian people to like him.”

SEE ALSO: India has 63 million less women than it should have

New Delhi based journalist Barkha Dutt wrote in the Washington Post that the PM’s trip had been a “total disaster” and an “absolute fiasco”.

“Given the seriousness and the sensitivities at stake, it was infuriating to watch Trudeau sashaying out, doing the Bhangra dance, at the same Canadian reception this week that was at the heart of the storm,” she opined. “You could feel the collective groan of Indians: Please. Stop. Enough Already.”

“Indians are also wondering, what is Trudeau doing here for so long? Doesn’t he have a country to run?” added Dutt.

But on Friday, he got a bear hug from his counterpart Narendra Modi. So there’s that.</s>NEW DELHI -- A man who was convicted of trying to assassinate an Indian cabinet minister in 1986 should not have been invited to receptions held in Delhi, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.

His statement came after a senior official in Trudeau's office said an invitation issued to Jaspal Atwal for a reception was a mistake and was rescinded as soon as it was discovered.

But the error wasn't caught until after Atwal had already attended a reception with Trudeau on Tuesday evening and posed for photos with both Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi.

Trudeau told reporters in New Delhi prior to a speech at the Canada-India Business Summit where several hundred Canadian and Indian business people were gathered that it was wrong to issue the invitation.

"The individual in question never should have received an invitation and as soon as we found out we rescinded the invitation immediately," said Trudeau. "Obviously we take this situation extremely seriously."

A spokeswoman with the Prime Minister's Office said earlier that Atwal is not part of the PM's official delegation to India and that the PMO is "in the process of looking into how this occurred."

But as it turns out, Atwal was added to the guest list by British Columbia MP Randeep Sarai, one of the 14 MPs in India with Trudeau.

"The member of parliament who included this individual has and will assume full responsibility for his actions," Trudeau said.

Sarai also issued his own statement taking full responsibility and said he should have used better judgement.

Officials in the Prime Minister's Official wouldn't comment on the vetting process that allowed the two invitations to slip through. A spokesperson said they do not comment on matters relating to the PM's security.

The news about Atwal came a day after Trudeau said he condemned violent extremism and tried to convince the chief minister of Punjab that his government was not sympathetic to the Sikh separatist cause.

The embarrassing setbacks raise questions about the adequacy of both security and diplomatic preparations for Trudeau's trip. Trudeau appeared grim Thursday morning during a visit to the Jama mosque, one of the biggest mosques in India. He did not respond to a question thrown at him at a mosque photo op, nor did he respond when the questions were repeatedly shouted to him at a cricket pitch in Delhi Thursday afternoon.

Media were kept more than 50 metres away from Trudeau at the cricket pitch where his three children, Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien, each took turns with a cricket bat while Trudeau looked on.

Trudeau and his family also visited the Sacred Heart Catholic church in Delhi Thursday, where he and his family lit candles and prayed.

Atwal was a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation, a banned terrorist group in Canada and India, when he was convicted of the attempted murder of an Indian cabinet minister. He was one of four men who ambushed and shot Malkiat Singh Sidhu in a car on Vancouver Island in 1986. Sidhu was wounded.

Atwal was also convicted in an automobile fraud case and was charged, but not convicted, in connection with a 1985 attack on Ujjal Dosanjh, a staunch opponent of the Sikh separatist movement's push for an independent Sikh state of Khalistan. Dosanjh went on to become premier of British Columbia and a federal cabinet minister.

Wednesday afternoon Trudeau met with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh who has repeatedly accused the Trudeau government and several of his cabinet ministers of being Khalistani sympathizers. Khalistan is the name of the independent Sikh state sought by some members of the Sikh community.

Trudeau told Singh Canada supports a united India and said he would look into concerns financing for Sikh separatist extremists was coming out of Canada, and Singh was happy with the meeting. Singh has not yet responded to the news Atwal was part of this trip.

Tensions between Canada and India have risen in recent years over Indian concerns about a rise in Sikh extremism coming from some of Canada's Sikh communities. Trudeau's appearances at some Sikh events where extremist supporters also showed up caused unhappiness in India.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has raised the issue with Trudeau several times and it likely will come up again when the two leaders meet Friday in Delhi.</s>NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on Friday with a hug, one day after embarrassed Canadian diplomats had to revoke a party invitation for a man convicted of attempting to kill an Indian politician.

The invitation was the latest blunder in Trudeau’s eight-day visit, which has included everything from criticism of his colorful wardrobe to questions about whether his government is sufficiently critical of Sikh extremists.

Jaspal Atwal, a Canada-based former member of a banned Sikh separatist group, had been invited by a Canadian member of Parliament to a Thursday evening party for Trudeau at Canada’s High Commission in New Delhi.

Atwal was convicted of trying to kill an Indian Cabinet minister during a 1986 visit to Canada. The minister was shot but survived. Atwal was imprisoned, and became a businessman after his release.

Canada quickly withdrew the invitation once it was discovered, with Trudeau telling reporters: “Obviously we take this situation extremely seriously. The individual in question never should have received an invitation.”

Earlier in the week, Atwal attended a Mumbai reception at which he was photographed with Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.

Modi still welcomed Trudeau on Friday with his signature bear hug, smiling at his wife and their three children, who also attended the formal outdoor ceremony.

In a Thursday night tweet, Modi said he looked forward to meeting Trudeau and his family, adding “I appreciate his deep commitment to ties between our two countries.”

But it hasn’t been an easy trip for Trudeau in many ways.

He’s been ridiculed in India on social media for his family’s seemingly endless wardrobe changes, with the photogenic group often appearing in colorful Indian clothing, and has faced repeated insistence that he denounce Sikh extremism.

“Sikh radicalism is the main issue,” the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest newspapers, said in an editorial earlier this week. “Justin Trudeau should allay India’s concerns on terrorism.”

Canada has a small but politically potent Sikh population, some of whom support a breakaway Sikh state, known as Khalistan, inside India. The Indian media often describe Trudeau’s government as being soft on the Khalistan issue.

Trudeau insisted that he’d told Indian politicians that was not true. “I was pleased to be able to make very, very clear that Canada supports one united India,” he said after one meeting.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau rescinds from Jaspal Atwal his invitation to a reception.