For the first time, Canada’s top intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), has admitted that Khalistani extremists are using Canadian soil to promote, fundraise, and plot acts of violence aimed largely at India.
This revelation comes from CSIS’s most recent annual report, which highlights critical concerns and dangers to Canada’s national security and represents a dramatic shift in Ottawa’s public posture on the subject.
According to the CSIS assessment, “Khalistani extremists continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising, and planning of violence, primarily in India.” This is the first time a Canadian government agency has formally used the term “extremism” in reference to Khalistani activity.
According to the report, since the mid-1980s, the threat of politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE) in Canada has primarily manifested through Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs), who seek to establish an independent nation-state, Khalistan, largely within India’s Punjab region, using violent means.
India has long expressed alarm about Khalistani militants operating from Canadian soil, but until today, Canada has generally avoided public acknowledgment. The CSIS assessment verifies India’s long-standing assertions, proving that Canada has become a safe haven for anti-India groups, and that these actions have been happening for decades.
The study also states that “real and perceived Khalistani extremism emerging from Canada continues to drive Indian foreign interference activities in Canada,” emphasizing the intricate relationship between domestic extremism and international diplomatic problems.
This disclosure comes at a critical point in Canada-India ties. Just one day before the report was released, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to take gradual efforts to restore stability in their bilateral relationship, including the return of High Commissioners to each other’s capitals.
This diplomatic effort came amid a period of high tensions, particularly after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of participation in the murder of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023, a claim India fiercely disputed.
The CSIS assessment recommends continued vigilance against both external influence campaigns and internal extremist finance networks. It warns that these operations are intended to influence Canada’s positions on crucial issues, including how the Indian government perceives Canadian supporters of the Khalistan Movement.
CSIS’s public admittance signals a watershed moment in Canada’s approach to the Khalistan issue, recognizing that Khalistani extremists have used Canada as a base for anti-India actions.
The report’s conclusions have revived worries about foreign meddling, extremist activities, and the need for increased vigilance in Canada, while simultaneously validating long-held Indian fears and perhaps influencing the future trajectory of Canada-India diplomatic relations.