Canada's premier intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), has for the first time officially confirmed that Khalistani extremists are using "Canadian soil as a base to promote, fundraise, and plan violent activities primarily targeting India." The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) released its annual report on Wednesday, outlining some key concerns and threats to Canada's national security.
Khalistani extremists using Canada as base
The report categorically states: "Khalistani extremists continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India."
Notably, this is the first time the term "extremism" has been officially used by Canada in relation to Khalistanis.
CSIS confirmed that Canada has become a safe haven for anti-India elements, validating India's long-standing concerns that have been raised for years. India has been raising concerns about Khalistani extremists operating from Canadian soil for years, but Canada had largely turned a blind eye to the issue.
What CSIS report reveal?
The report noted that since the mid-1980s, the olitically motivated violent extremism (PMVE) threat in Canada has manifested primarily through Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs).
"Since the mid-1980s, the politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE) threat in Canada has manifested primarily through Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) seeking to use and support violent means to create an independent nation state called Khalistan, largely within Punjab in India".
The CSIS report describes a small faction of CBKEs who continue to engage in violent means to advance their cause. "A small group of individuals are considered Khalistani extremists because they continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India. In particular, real and perceived Khalistani extremism emerging from Canada continues to drive Indian foreign interference activities in Canada," the report reads.
This revelation, part of CSIS's latest annual report, has reignited concerns about foreign interference and extremist activity within Canada, particularly in the context of its sensitive diplomatic relationship with India.
The report called for sustained vigilance against both external influence campaigns and domestic extremist financing networks "These activities attempt to steer Canada's positions into alignment with India's interests on key issues, particularly with respect to how the Indian government perceives Canada-based supporters of an independent homeland that they call Khalistan," added the report.
Khalistani extremists report rifgt after PM Modi's visit
This comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney "agreed to take calibrated steps to restore stability to the relationship" and decided to restore High Commissioners to each other's capitals.
Tensions escalated between India and Canada when former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that his government had "credible allegations" of India's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023.
India has strongly denied the allegations, terming them "absurd" and "motivated," and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements.
In the aftermath, India recalled six diplomats from Canada after they were declared "persons of interest" by Canadian authorities investigating Nijjar's killing. Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
"Links between the Government of India and the Nijjar murder signals a significant escalation in India's repression efforts against the Khalistan movement and a clear intent to target individuals in North America, Wednesday's report read. "Real and perceived Khalistani extremism emerging from Canada continues to drive Indian foreign interference activities in Canada, the report added.
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