Trudeau exaggerated Nijjar murder: Ex-Pentagon official

Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin slammed ex-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for "exaggerating claims" over the killing of KhalistanI terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the threat of the Khalistan movement. He also claimed that Trudeau appeased "radical Sikh extremists in Canada".

Runin added that Canada needs to take firm and effective action against Khalistani extremism, while highlighting India's role in pushing Ottawa to confront the issue directly.

At the same time, Rubin praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accepting the invitation to attend the upcoming G7 summit in Canada, and lauded incumbent Canadian PM Mark Carney for taking steps to mend ties with New Delhi.

"The grievances of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Khalistan movement were not real. They were exaggerations that Justin Trudeau amplified," Rubin told news agency ANI, while saying that Khalistani groups have no popular legitimacy in Punjab, or even among the larger peaceful Sikh community in Canada.

Rubin also accused Trudeau of "appeasing radical Sikh extremists in Canada" and shifting blame to India rather than acknowledging domestic issues.

"Justin Trudeau may have wanted so much to appease radical Sikh extremists in various constituencies that he was willing to take an organised crime hit between various Sikh groups and mafias and blame an outside power for it, rather than acknowledge the problem and the fault was Canada's alone," Rubin said.

"But now that Justin Trudeau is gone and likely will never return to power, Prime Minister Carney is taking a sober approach and recognising that he is not going to be tied to Justin Trudeau's fictions," Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, added.

TAKE STRONG ACTION AGAINST KHALISTANI EXTREMISM: RUBIN ASKS CANADA

Rubin emphasised that it is essential that India continues to press Canada to address the Khalistan issue head-on.

"It is so essential that India continues to press Canada to designate the Khalistan movement and extremists as terrorists, to uproot terror finance, and to stigmatise forever these groups that really have no popular legitimacy back home in Punjab or, for that matter, among the larger peaceful Sikh community in Canada," ANI quoted him as saying.

"It's time to stop allowing the loud, extreme voices to win and instead recognise that those same loud, extreme voices oftentimes deserve to be in prison for their involvement in terror, tax fraud, and organised crime in Canada, in San Francisco, and elsewhere," Rubin further said.

He also accused Trudeau of undermining Canada's moral authority by tolerating the Khalistanis, saying, "When you give haven to any terror group, ultimately, your interests are going to be subverted".

"Justin Trudeau and, frankly, Pierre Trudeau before him, by embracing and tolerating the Khalistan movement in the face of some of the worst terrorist attacks in the 20th century, what they did is ultimately undermine Canada's moral authority and its strategic importance," he added.

RUBIN HAILS CARNEY FOR HIS APPROACH TOWARDS INDIA

Talking about Canada's invite to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the G7 summit, he said Mark Carney’s efforts to repair the relationship with India, rather than follow Justin Trudeau’s misguided path, already suggest he is a far more serious leader than his predecessor.

"Canadian PM Mark Carney was originally a banker. He understands the importance of India. Justin Trudeau was a politician who peddled image and imagination, and therefore it makes sense that Carney wants to restore maturity to the relationship," Rubin told ANI.

Rubin views PM Modi's decision to attend the summit as a sign of India's transparency and confidence. "It makes sense for Prime Minister Modi to show that the problem was not Canada itself, but the immaturity and unprofessionalism of Justin Trudeau," he said.

Further, the American security expert highlighted that the Indian government is "willing to have a serious dialogue, much like they had with the US".

Modi will attend the G7 Summit at Kananaskis in Canada, which will be held between June 15 and 17.