Canada: Khalistan activists a “threat to national security”
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney in Canada to reset bilateral relations, Ottawa admitted, for the first time, that the Khalistani activists on its soil were a “threat to national security.”
A calibrated Canadian report called Sikh separatists engaged in violent extremism a “threat to national security,” the media reported on Thursday. These extremists had spewed venom against PM Modi, protested against his participation in the G7 Summit, and took out rallies to pressurize Ottawa last week, and even threatened to “ambush” the visiting PM.
This subtle admission may become the first step towards a hardening of Canadian policy towards Pakistan-supported Khalistan extremists in North America. Notably, the Sikh extremists’ influence in Canadian politics has seen ups and downs in the last few years.
The primary politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE) threat has manifested in Canada since the mid-1980s through Canada-based Sikh separatists, “seeking to use and support violent means to create an independent nation state called Khalistan, largely within Punjab, India”, the annual report of the Canadian intelligence said.
“Politically motivated violent extremism encourages the use of violence to establish new political systems or new structures or norms within existing systems. PMVE actors engage in the planning, financing and facilitating of attacks, globally, in order to establish new political systems or entities,” the Canada Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Public Report 2024, admitted.
The report came a day after the PMs of the two democracies met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta on Tuesday, and agreed for the “early return of High Commissioners” to New Delhi and Ottawa, as a positive step towards normalising ties, which remained strained since 2023.
The diplomatic chill with Canada began in September 2023 after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of involvement in the killing of Indian-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. Wednesday, June 18, marked the second anniversary of Nijjar’s killing outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.
India called the Canadian claims “absurd”, highlighting that Ottawa failed to share any evidence with New Delhi to support its claims. Four Indian individuals, with no connections to the government unveiled so far, were arrested and charged with the killing.
For India, the space Canada gave to Sikh separatists and organised crime has been a major irritant in ties. For example, the 2023 public report, while citing the killing of Nijjar, made no mention of Sikh separatists indulging in PMVE activities, even as Indian diplomats faced threats in that country.
However, the 2024 report clarified that “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 adds.
“While there were no Canada-Based Khalistani Extremists (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 says.
It highlights India as one of the main perpetrators of espionage activities in Canada, along with China, Russia and Iran. India allegedly attempts to “influence Canadian communities and politicians”, and when “deceptive, clandestine or threatening” are “deemed to be” foreign interference.
“With the re-election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s political course will be a continuation of Hindu-nationalist policy agenda that has been implemented since Prime Minister Modi was first elected in 2014,” says the report. “Links between the Government of India and the Nijjar murder signal a significant escalation in India’s repression efforts against the Khalistan movement and a clear intent to target individuals in North America.”
However, in the case of Nijjar, Ottawa has yet to provide any substantial evidence to New Delhi regarding the alleged links. PMs Modi and Carney agreed to resume “law enforcement cooperation” between the two governments to iron out the irritants in ties from the larger overall relationship.
The breakdown in ties since 2023 led to Canada requesting India to waive diplomatic immunity for five of its diplomats, including the then High Commissioner in Ottawa, which prompted New Delhi to withdraw its diplomats and expel five Canadian diplomats in October 2024, including its Acting High Commissioner. India has in the past denied that it interferes in Canadian domestic affairs.
