The Sikh separatist told Canadian media he has ‘nothing but regret and remorse’ for his role in 1996 assassination attempt on a former Punjab minister.
New Delhi: Canada-based Sikh separatist Jaspal Atwal has said that he was “shocked and devastated” to know that his presence at a Mumbai event last month had such repercussions for the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and apologised for the embarrassment caused.
Reading from a letter, he told the media he has “reconciled with the nation of India”. He said that he had “nothing but regret and remorse” for the part he played in the 1986 attempted assassination when he and a group of three others tried to assassinate former Punjab minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu.
“What I did was described as an act of terror by the judge who dealt with this matter. I accept full responsibility. I do not disagree with the court’s conclusions,” Atwal said.
His lawyer went on to say that while he “politically embarrassed” Trudeau, he presents “absolutely no security threat to this country or any country”. Atwal has also apparently visited India several times since he was released from prison.
Atwal was convicted for the attempted assassination in 1986. He was also a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation, which is now banned by the Canadian government.
The Atwal episode happened at an awkward time for Trudeau, who spent much of his trip trying to assuage Indian fears that he supports the Khalistani cause. He was questioned relentlessly in Parliament for his actions during the India visit when he returned to Canada.
Trudeau never distanced himself from Atwal, and instead supported the claim that factions within the Indian government had tried to sabotage his visit. The Indian government has denied these allegations strongly.