‘Targeting India’: Canada confirms Khalistani extremists active within its borders

A few Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) still threaten national security, according to official confirmation from Canada's top intelligence agency. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) claims that these persons are promoting, financing, or organising acts of violence, mostly against India, on Canadian soil.
In its latest annual report to Parliament, CSIS emphasized that while the broader Sikh community in Canada is peaceful, only a limited group of individuals are considered extremists. “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,” the report stated.
CSIS classifies such actions under what it calls Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE)—a form of extremism where violence is used to try to establish new political systems or alter existing ones. “PMVE actors engage in planning, financing, and facilitating attacks globally to bring about these changes,” CSIS explained.
The agency pointed out that since the mid-1980s, the most visible example of PMVE in Canada has come from CBKEs pushing for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh state in India’s Punjab region, through violent means.
Although no CBKE-linked attacks occurred on Canadian soil in 2024, CSIS warned the threat is still very much active. “Ongoing involvement in violent activities by CBKEs continues to pose a national security threat to Canada and Canadian interests,” the report cautioned.
The agency also noted its continued efforts to monitor such threats and support the federal government in designating terrorist organizations. In 2024, the Canadian government added two groups to its list of terrorist entities: Samidoun (Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network) in October and Ansarallah (the Houthis) in December. The report stated that Ansarallah had launched multiple attacks on ships in the Red Sea over the past year and maintains close ties with other listed groups like the IRGC-Qods Force and Hezbollah.
CSIS said it remains vigilant in tracking such extremist activities to safeguard national security and Canadian interests at home and abroad.