Canada confirms Khalistani extremists using its soil to target India

Business Standard

5 hours ago

In a rare admission, Canada's top intelligence agency has echoed what India has been warning about for years — that Canadian soil has become a breeding ground for Khalistani extremism.
In its 2024 annual report, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has confirmed that Khalistani extremists continue to operate from within Canada, raising funds, promoting propaganda, and planning violent acts — with India as their primary target.
'Khalistani extremists continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India,' the report stated, marking the first official acknowledgment of this scale.
This is a significant moment for Indian diplomacy, which has long called out Ottawa for turning a blind eye to anti-India elements under the guise of free expression.
A diplomatic flashpoint
The report's timing couldn't be more crucial. It comes months after a diplomatic firestorm between India and Canada, triggered by former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's controversial claim in the House of Commons in September 2023. Trudeau alleged that Canadian security agencies were probing 'credible allegations of a potential link' between the Indian government and the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated Khalistani terrorist, in British Columbia.
India rejected the claim as 'absurd' and retaliated by expelling a top Canadian diplomat. The CSIS report now casts the debate in a new light.
Nijjar, chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023. His death sparked a cascade of allegations, diplomatic expulsions, and eventually, a pause in trade talks between the two countries. ALSO READ |
Tracing extremist roots in Canada
The CSIS report also highlights that since the mid-1980s, Canada has witnessed politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE) from Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs). While drawing a distinction between peaceful advocacy and extremist violence, it clearly identifies a "small group" exploiting Canadian freedoms to pursue a violent agenda against India.
'Real and perceived Khalistani extremism emerging from Canada continues to drive Indian foreign interference activities in Canada,' the report notes, acknowledging that India has responded with its own counter-efforts to mitigate threats from extremist actors.
When Canada backtracked: The 2018 report controversy
This isn't the first time Khalistani extremism has featured in Canada's official documents. Back in December 2018, Canada's Public Report on the Terrorist Threat mentioned 'Sikh extremism' for the first time, warning of limited attacks but ongoing support from Canadian soil — especially through financing.
However, the then Liberal government led by Trudeua faced backlash from Sikh advocacy groups. Accusations flew thick and fast, with Khalistan supporter and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun alleging that Trudeau was branding Sikhs as 'terrorists' while relying on them for votes.
The Truedeau government then revised the report in April 2019 — quietly removing all references to Sikh extremism and Khalistan. The new version cited a need to 'eliminate terminology that unintentionally impugns an entire religion". Coincidentally, the edit came just hours before Trudeau and his then defence minister Harjit Sajjan attended a Baisakhi celebration hosted by the influential Khalsa Diwan Society in Vancouver.
Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh slammed the revision, calling it a 'dangerous' political move aimed at appeasing the Sikh vote bank.
Signs of a reset?
Interestingly, the latest report's release closely followed a high-stakes meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 Summit in Alberta. Both sides agreed to restore diplomatic channels by appointing new high commissioners and resuming stalled trade negotiations.
Carney, defending his outreach, highlighted India's global economic weight and the need for dialogue, even amid fierce criticism from certain Canadian quarters.