Ottawa (Canada), June 19 (HBTV): For the first time, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has officially acknowledged that Khalistani extremists are using Canadian soil to promote their cause, raise funds, and plan acts of violence in India.

CSIS released its annual report on Wednesday, highlighting key threats to Canada's national security. The report categorically stated: ‘Khalistani extremists continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India.’

India has long raised concerns about Khalistani elements operating freely from within Canada, with little visible action from Ottawa. The CSIS admission validates New Delhi’s repeated assertions that Canada has become a safe haven for anti-India elements.

The release of the report comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to take calibrated steps to stabilise diplomatic ties. Both leaders decided to reinstate High Commissioners in each other's capitals during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.

According to a press release from the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, the two sides have agreed to resume regular services for citizens and businesses, with a view to restoring bilateral normalcy.

The CSIS report also highlighted that the threat of Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE) in Canada has, since the mid-1980s, primarily manifested through Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) pushing for the creation of an independent state of Khalistan in India’s Punjab region.

The report noted: ‘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.’

These revelations have renewed concerns over foreign interference and extremist financing networks within Canada, with CSIS calling for sustained vigilance. The report added that such activities attempt to steer Canadian positions into alignment with Indian interests, particularly on issues related to Khalistan sympathisers operating from Canadian territory.

Tensions between the two countries had escalated in 2023 when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara on June 18, 2023. India strongly rejected the allegations as ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated,’ while criticising Canada for giving space to extremist and anti-India activities.

Following the incident, India withdrew six diplomats after Canadian authorities declared them ‘persons of interest’ in the Nijjar investigation.

The CSIS report stated: ‘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.’

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced criticism from certain Sikh advocacy groups and some of his own MPs for inviting Prime Minister Modi to the G7 summit. Defending his decision, Carney said India’s global importance could not be overlooked, citing its position as the world’s fourth-largest economy and its status as the most populous country.

(ANI)