In a first, Canada’s top intelligence agency officially acknowledged that Khalistani extremists are operating from within its borders, even as it accused India of meddling and espionage.
In its latest annual report to parliament, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) confirmed what India has long alleged: that pro-Khalistan extremists are using Canadian soil to promote separatism, raise funds, and plan violent actions in India.
“Khalistani extremists continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India,” the report stated, the first time the agency has publicly labelled such individuals as “extremists.”
The CSIS noted that since the 1980s, Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) have pursued a campaign to create an independent Sikh state in Punjab, often through violent means. New Delhi has for years accused Ottawa of turning a blind eye to anti-India elements operating in Canada. The CSIS admission is a long-overdue acknowledgement of the threat.
Yet, in the same breath, the agency also named India as one of the “main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage” in Canada, alongside China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan.
“Indian officials, including their Canada-based proxy agents, engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians,” the report alleged. It warned that such activities, if deceptive or threatening, amount to foreign interference.
This dual position puts Canada in a diplomatic bind, especially as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government tries to reset ties with New Delhi following months of standoff over the killing of Khalistani terrorists Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year.
The report claimed that the Nijjar case revealed “links between the Government of India and criminal networks,” and said it represented “a significant escalation in India’s repression efforts against the Khalistan movement.”
“In particular, real and perceived Khalistani extremism emerging from Canada continues to drive Indian foreign interference activities in Canada,” the report stated.
India has staunchly denied involvement in Nijjar’s death and rejected earlier allegations of interference made by Ottawa.
The report’s release coincided with the first face-to-face meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his newly appointed Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, at the G7 summit.
The meeting between the two leaders led to a breakthrough after nearly two years of frosty ties, with India and Canada agreeing to appoint new High Commissioners and restart trade negotiations.
Following the bilateral, Carney called the discussion with PM Modi “foundational,” describing it as a “frank, open exchange of views” on law enforcement and transnational repression.
