- By Priyanka Koul
- Sat, 02 May 2026 02:20 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) continue to “pose a national security threat” to the country, according to the 2025 annual report of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), released on Friday.
In its report, Canada’s intelligence agency stated, “Ongoing involvement in violent extremist activities by CBKEs continues to pose a national security threat to Canada and to Canadian interests.”
The report added that some CBKEs are “well connected to Canadian citizens who leverage Canadian institutions to promote their violent extremist agenda and collect funds from unsuspecting community members that are then diverted toward violent activities.”
While CSIS noted that there were no CBKE-related attacks in Canada in 2025, it clarified that some Canadians “participate in legitimate and peaceful campaigning to support the Khalistan separatist movement.”
“Only a small group of individuals who use Canada as a base to promote, fundraise, or plan violence primarily in India are considered Khalistani extremists,” the report emphasised.
CSIS referenced the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 (Kanishka) bombing, allegedly linked to pro-Khalistan extremists, as it introduced its concerns regarding CBKEs. “It remains to this day the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history, with 329 people killed, most of them Canadians,” the report said.
The concerns outlined in the 2025 report are similar to those raised in the 2024 edition. References to pro-Khalistan extremism had largely disappeared from CSIS reports after 2018 during former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tenure.
CBKEs were categorized under politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE), which CSIS described as activity that “encourages the use of violence to establish new political systems, or new structures or norms within existing systems.”
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CSIS also continued to list India among the “main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada,” alongside China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan. However, the report noted that multiple states and affiliated organizations were involved in such activities in 2025 without naming specific countries.
Regarding India, the report stated, “India acts to counter perceived threats to its domestic stability, including Khalistan separatism. In Canada, advocacy for Khalistan separatism is lawful political activity.”
India has consistently denied Canadian allegations, particularly those that intensified under Trudeau’s leadership, though tensions have somewhat eased since his departure.
In recent months, several prominent Canadian officials have appeared to soften earlier concerns regarding India’s alleged interference.
Ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s bilateral visit to India earlier this year, a senior Canadian official reportedly stated during a background briefing that authorities no longer suspected India of interfering in Canada’s democratic processes or being involved in targeted violence.
During a technical briefing in late February, an unnamed official said, “I really don’t think we’d be taking this trip if we thought these kind of activities were continuing.”
In March, British Columbia Premier David Eby said his government had “no information” linking India to violence associated with the province’s extortion crisis.
That same month, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme stated there were currently no links between the Indian government and transnational repression or foreign interference.
In an interview with CTV News, Duheme said, “In the files that we have that involve transnational repression, we’re not seeing any connection right now with any foreign entity, based on the criminal information, the investigations that we have presently.”