VANCOUVER — A man at the centre of a controversy surrounding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's recent visit to India says he has renounced terrorism and no longer advocates for Sikh separatism.
Jaspal Atwal says since he was convicted of trying to kill an Indian cabinet minister in 1986, he has tried to contribute to Canadian society, which includes meeting politicians from various parties.
Before he recently left for a trip to India, he says he contacted Liberal MP Randeep Sarai to see if there was a chance for him to attend a reception with Trudeau.
Atwal went to the reception in Mumbai and was photographed with Trudeau's wife, causing a political and diplomatic uproar.
An invitation Atwal received to a later reception in New Delhi was rescinded as soon as news broke that he was on the guest list.
In a background briefing arranged by the Prime Minister's Office, Trudeau's national security adviser suggested Atwal's presence was arranged by factions within the Indian government who want to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from getting too cosy with a foreign government they believe is not committed to a united India.
An official spokesman for the Indian ministry has repudiated that theory.
Sarai took responsibility for inviting Atwal and apologized for his lack of judgment, before resigning as chair of the party's B.C. caucus.
Atwal, a one-time member of a Sikh separatist group that is banned in Canada and India as a terrorist organization, was convicted of attempting to kill Indian cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu on Vancouver Island in 1986.
He was also charged, but not convicted, in a 1985 attack on Ujjal Dosanjh, a staunch opponent of the Sikh separatist movement who later became B.C. premier and a federal Liberal cabinet minister.
Liberal insiders said Sarai apologized again last week to his fellow MPs during a closed-door caucus meeting. They said he has explained to some Liberals privately that he did not know about Atwal's conviction for attempted murder, although he was aware of the charge in the Dosanjh attack.
Liberal MPs thwarted a recent bid by Conservatives that would have required Trudeau's national security adviser to explain his assertion that rogue elements in the Indian government sabotaged the prime minister's trip to India.
A TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN THE JASPAL ATWAL AFFAIR
Controversy has swirled since a man who was convicted of trying to kill an Indian cabinet minister in 1986 showed up at a reception for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in India last month. Here is a timeline of events in the Jaspal Atwal affair:
Feb. 21: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to reassure Indian political leaders that his government repudiates violent Sikh extremism suffers an embarrassing setback with the revelation that Atwal — a Canadian Sikh convicted of trying to assassinate an Indian cabinet minister in 1986 — has been invited to attend events with the prime minister during Trudeau's visit to India. A photo emerges of Atwal posing with Trudeau's wife at a reception in Mumbai.
Feb. 22: An invitation for Atwal to a reception in New Delhi is rescinded by the Prime Minister's Office.
Feb. 23: A senior Canadian official with knowledge of security issues says Canadian authorities believe it was no accident that Atwal was suddenly allowed into India and was able to make his way onto the guest list for two receptions with Trudeau. The official, speaking to a briefing arranged by the PMO on the condition of anonymity, says the suggestion has been made that Atwal's presence was arranged by factions within the Indian government who refuse to believe there is no risk posed to a united India by Sikh separatists living abroad.
Feb. 24: Trudeau travels back to Canada.
Feb. 25: Atwal tells the Canadian Press he has a good relationship with Trudeau and bowed out of the reception in New Delhi because he wanted to save the prime minister further embarrassment. The PMO says there is no merit to Atwal's assertions.
Feb. 26: A Conservative bid for an emergency meeting on the Atwal affair fizzles as the chairman of the House of Commons committee on national security says Tory MP Pierre Paul-Hus did not receive the required notices of support from at least four MPs to initiate an emergency meeting.
Feb. 27: Trudeau stands by the senior government official who suggested factions within the Indian government were involved in sabotaging the prime minister's visit to India. He says when a top diplomat and security official says something "it's because they know it to be true."
Feb. 28: India's Ministry of External Affairs issues a statement saying the Indian government had no role in Atwal being invited.
March 1: Liberal MPs on the national security committee thwart a Conservative bid to summon the government's national security adviser over the Atwal affair.
March 8: Atwal tells a news conference he contacted Liberal MP Randeep Sarai to see if there was a chance for him to attend a reception with Trudeau while he was in India. Sarai had previously taken responsibility for the invitation. Atwal's lawyer, Rishi Gill, says his client was never in contact with the Indian government to act on its behalf.
VIDEO: CBC News/ YouTube
