Pro-Khalistan extremism a threat to Canada, says spy agency in report
Canada's spy agency has said that India's alleged foreign interference activities have been driven by concerns of pro-Khalistan extremism emerging from Canada, acknowledging that some extremists use Canada as a base for planning violence in India.
The admission is in the section on Politically Motivated Religious Extremism or PMVE in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service or CSIS' annual report to Parliament for 2024, which was tabled in the House of Commons on Friday but only published publicly on Wednesday.
'Since the mid-1980s, the 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, India,' the report said.
'While there were no CBKE-related attacks in Canada in 2024, ongoing involvement in violent activities by CBKEs continues to pose a national security threat to Canada and Canadian interests. In particular, real and perceived Khalistani extremism emerging from Canada continues to drive Indian foreign interference activities in Canada,' the report noted.
'Some Canadians participate in legitimate and peaceful campaigning to support the Khalistan movement. Non-violent advocacy for an independent state of Khalistan is not considered extremism. Only 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,' it added, in a significant official acceptance by Canada of its territory being used to potentially foment terrorism in India.
Such a reference to Khalistani extremism was missing from the report for 2023.
The report also made the allegations of Indian interference in Canada, though, for the first time, it also underlined what motivates such alleged activity. '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,' the report stated.
'The main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada include the PRC (People's Republic of China) , India, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran,' it said.
The recognition that violence targeting India may be funded and planned from Canada was not the first this year as the tenor of official reports has changed since Justin Trudeau's announcement in January that he was going to resign as Prime Minister.
The final report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, which is headed by Justice Marie-Josee Hogue, and released on January 28, stated that according to CSIS 'India has some legitimate basis for concerns about the security threat posed by Khalistani extremism in Canada. Some extremists have engaged in threat-related activities directed at India from within Canada, notably by coordinating and funding terrorist activities in India.'
It added, as per CSIS, 'the vast majority of Khalistan supporters are peaceful.'
India-Canada ties nose-dived when former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September 2023 that Indian agents were linked to the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India dismissed the charge as 'absurd' and subsequently accused the Canadian government of giving space to separatists and radical elements that pose a threat to Indian diplomats and interests. As bilateral ties hit an all-time low over the past year, both sides expelled diplomats and downgraded ties.
Following Mark Carney's appointment as Canadian PM on March 14, the two sides have been in touch at the level of leaders and senior officials. There have also been meetings between senior security officials, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the Indian side and the National Security Intelligence Advisor, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Canadian Security Intelligence Services on the Canadian side.
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