Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau will finally be able to leave India after a technical
problem in his aircraft was fixed, the country's press secretary has said.
Mr Trudeau was set to fly
on Sunday, following a tense meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi at the G20
summit.
But he had to stay back for
two more days after his plane experienced technical difficulties.
He is now
expected to leave for Canada on Tuesday afternoon.
"The
technical issue with the plane has been resolved. The plane has been cleared to
fly," Mohammad Hussain, press secretary of the Canadian prime minister,
told Indian news agency ANI.
In a
statement sent to the BBC, Canada's Department of National Defence on Monday
confirmed that the prime minister's aircraft - a Royal Canadian Air Force
(RCAF) CC-150 Polaris with the tail number '01' - suffered a "maintenance
problem" stemming from a "component that will have to be replaced".
"The
safety of all passengers is critical to the RCAF and pre-flight safety checks
are a regular part of all our flight protocols," the statement added.
"The discovery of this issue is evidence that these protocols are
effective."
The defense department said
a replacement aircraft was being sent to India to retrieve Mr. Trudeau.
Reports in India on Tuesday
said it was diverted to the UK - they did not clarify whether it was because
the plane in Delhi had already been fixed.
The incident is not
the first time that Mr Trudeau has had plane-related travel issues.
In 2019, a plane
carrying journalists collided with the wing of an aircraft chartered to
transport him on the campaign trail. He was not on board the aircraft at the
time.
The relationship
between Canada and India has grown increasingly strained in recent months, with
Canada recently suspending negotiations on a trade treaty with India.
Political protests by
Canada's large Sikh population have been a major flashpoint.
A prominent advocate
for a separate Sikh nation, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was shot dead by two masked
gunmen in British Columbia in June. Sikh separatists took to the streets of
Toronto to protest against the Indian government, accusing Delhi of being
responsible for his death. India has denied the allegations and the killing is
still under investigation.
In the meeting with Mr.
Trudeau, Mr. Modi aired concerns about the "continuing anti-India
activities of extremist elements in Canada" and said they were promoting
secessionism and inciting violence, according to his office.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trudeau's team said the Canadian prime minister had "raised the importance
of respecting the rule of law, democratic principles, and national
sovereignty".
Mr Trudeau later told
a press conference he had also discussed foreign interference in Canada's
affairs with Mr Modi. Canada is including India in its sweeping investigation
into election interference, which is also looking into China and Russia.
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