Justin Trudeau says, Khalistani terrorist ought to never have been invited

New Delhi, Feb 22 After receiving reaction over his wife Sophie Trudeau's photograph with indicted Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said the issue was being taken "extremely seriously."

"Clearly, we take this extremely seriously. He ought to never have recieved an invitation," the Canadian Prime Minister said with regards to Atwal, who is one of four men convicted for ambushing and shooting Punjab Minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu at Vancouver Island in 1986.

Atwal was invited to dine with Trudeau at a formal occasion hosted by Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel on Thursday. The invite was later cancelled.

"When we got the information, we cancelled it. A Member of Parliament had included this individual (Atwal)," Trudeau explained.

The Prime Minister also said Canada and India were "committed to pursuing and upholding democracy".

"We are the two largest democracies in the world, one by size and one by populace," he included.

The Ministry of External Affairs, however, said it was trying to find out how Atwal managed to come to India.

"This is something which we are trying to find out. At the appointed time, we will have the capacity to think of a reason that how he figured out how to come in India," MEA representative Raveesh Kumar said.