Latest news with #HardeepSinghNijjar
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
CSIS flags extremist Khalistani activists as national security threat
Canada's spy agency is warning that a small but militant group of Sikhs are using the country as a base for promoting, fundraising and planning violence in India in support of an independent homeland in Punjab, a caution some see as a sign of shifting policies toward New Delhi. In its annual report to Parliament in June, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said these homegrown extremists represent only a small group among Sikhs who are otherwise pursuing non-violent advocacy for a state they call Khalistan. The spy agency says the presence of Sikh extremists in Canada 'continues to pose a national security threat to Canada and Canadian interests,' without pointing to any specific examples. It's the first time CSIS has highlighted Khalistani extremists in its annual report since 2018. Canada is attempting to rebuild relations with India, which suffered a major rupture in September, 2023, when then-prime-minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of a role in the killing of Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent advocate for Khalistan. India has denied the allegation. A year after Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death, mysteries remain about how he really lived The rift escalated further last fall when Canada dismissed top Indian diplomats over allegations that government agents had been linked to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens. India expelled Canadian diplomats in response. The CSIS report says India remains one of the country's most persistent foreign interference threats. It adds that India's 'real and perceived' concerns about Khalistani extremism is driving New Delhi's foreign interference activities in Canada. Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the World Sikh Organization of Canada, which advocates on behalf of this country's nearly one million Sikhs, says his group has reached out to CSIS over concerns about the language in the report. He says despite alarms raised by India, there's no evidence Khalistani extremists pose a threat to Canada, and the report acknowledges there were no attacks in Canada related to Sikh extremism in 2024. 'Are there actors that engage in some sort of extremist activity in Canada? CSIS would indicate that there is a 'small number.' I haven't seen them. I don't know anything about them,' Mr. Singh said. 'The problem is India tries very hard to malign anything related to Khalistan as, by default, terrorism.' Opinion: Canada is letting the memory of the deadliest terrorist attack in our history slip away Andrew Kirsch, a security consultant and former intelligence officer with CSIS, said the spy agency is signalling that the threat from Khalistan extremists is real and should be taken seriously. 'If they're highlighting it, it means it's become a priority item, that the threat is serious and they want to raise awareness about it. Clearly, this stuff is going on, and they want the public to know about it,' he said. These annual reports are important because they offer insight into how the spy agency is spending time and resources, he said. He is skeptical of the suggestion CSIS could be influenced by Indian disinformation. These kinds of threat assessments are based on a wide range of sources, as well as electronic surveillance, such as intercepts and wiretaps, all of which goes through a heavy vetting process internally, he said. 'Unfortunately, we can't tell people what information that threat is based on. But our intelligence service is trained to wade through disinformation. I have a high degree of confidence in their analysis,' Mr. Kirsch said. The CSIS report says politically motivated violent extremism has been an element of the Khalistani movement in Canada since the 1980s. Sikh activists, however, argue India has used these perceived threats to target peaceful advocacy for Khalistan. 'The problem is India sees any activism for Khalistan as extremist, and it has targeted that,' Mr. Singh said. Mr. Nijjar, designated a terrorist by India, was gunned down in the parking lot of a gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., in June, 2023. Four Indian nationals are facing charges in connection with the killing. Mr. Trudeau said Canada had credible allegations the murder was carried out by agents of India. New Delhi has refused to acknowledge any role in foreign interference or transnational oppression of Sikhs in Canada. Mr. Singh says the CSIS report may signal a shift in policy from Ottawa. He suggested it may be designed to appease New Delhi as Canada seeks to repair relations – something Gurpreet Sahota, editor-in-chief at Channel Punjabi in Surrey, called a 'betrayal.' Multiple Sikh organizations protested Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta earlier this month. Campbell Clark: Carney should know it's way too soon to invite Modi to Canada 'We believe that India pressures Canada to do these sort of things … Did it happen here? I hope not,' Mr. Singh said. CSIS spokesperson Magali Hébert told The Globe and Mail that the spy agency has used the term 'Canada-based Khalistani extremism' for some time, and pointed out the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference referenced its findings on Sikh extremism in its final report earlier this year. Ms. Hébert, who added that the 'vast majority' of Khalistan supporters are peaceful, did not directly address a question about whether its reports are politically influenced. The Indian High Commission did not respond to a request for comment. But in social-media posts, it said the bombing of Air India Flight 182, 40 years ago this month by Canada-based Khalistani terrorists, is a reminder the world must show 'zero tolerance' toward extremism.
Hindustan Times
21-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Shots fired at Nijjar-linked business in Canada; cousin blames Bishnoi gang
Toronto: A business owned by a cousin of murdered pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fired upon in the early hours of Thursday, the latest in a series of such incidents targeting prominent Indo-Canadian businessmen in the area. A business owned by a cousin of murdered pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fired upon in the early hours of Thursday, the latest in a series of such incidents targeting prominent Indo-Canadian businessmen in the area. Multiple shots were fired on the premises of Nijjar Trucking owned by Raghbir Singh Nijjar at around 3am on Thursday. The outlet Red FM reported that on June 18, there was an attempt to set vehicles afire at the same business. It cited Nijjar as alleging that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was behind the attack as part of an extortion attempt. His residence had been similarly targeted in August 2024. Nijjar also said that criminal gangs were using international students for these violent acts. While he is related to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed on June 18, 2023, in Surrey, British Columbia, a person familiar with them said they had not been close. This incident followed the murder of another businessman Satwinder Sharma on June 11 in neighbouring Abbotsford. Sharma, 56, was shot while at his business location. The case is being handled by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT which said, 'Early indications suggest this was a targeted incident and no one else was injured as a result of the shooting. Investigators are working diligently to determine the motive and the circumstances surrounding the homicide.' Another repeat victim is Satish Kumar, president of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey. On June 7, Reflections Banquet Hall, which he owns, was shot at. Early on Saturday, another business, Satish Accounting Services, was similarly targeted. Kumar told the outlet Vancouver Sun, 'My life is on the line. My family's life is on the line.' In December 2023, the residence where his son and family live in was fired upon. British Columbia Premier (equivalent of an Indian chief minister) David Eby has called upon the Federal Government to designate such violent criminal groups as terrorist organisations. In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday, he wrote, 'On February 15, 2025, the Government of Canada announced the listing of seven transnational criminal groups as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. British Columbia believes that this legal instrument should be applied to groups, such as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, engaged in extortion and violent crimes in multiple Canadian provinces. This is a complex and nationally impactful criminal issue deserving of a national criminal law response to investigate and prosecute those participating in, promoting and/or facilitating these crimes.'
Canada Standard
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Small group of Khalistanis in Canada fund violence in India Ottawa
Canadian intelligence has said Sikh extremists use the country as a base to carry out anti-India activities A small number of Khalistani separatists in Canada continue to use the country as a base to fund political violence in India, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) has said in a report. Khalistanis, or Sikh separatists, seek to carve out an ethno-religious country from the Indian state of Punjab. The movement for a nation of Khalistan reached its peak in India in the 1980s and has few backers in the country now. However, members of the Sikh diaspora have been trying to revive the movement in Canada. India and Canada disagree on the degree of the threat posed by Khalistani activists. "Some Canadians participate in legitimate and peaceful campaigning to support the Khalistan movement," the CSIS said in its report. "Non-violent advocacy for an independent state of Khalistan is not considered extremism." The Canadian intelligencereportadded: "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 reaffirmed allegations of an Indian government connection in the killing of prominent Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The agency claimed that India, along with Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran, are the "main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage" against Canada. The report, which was presented in the Canadian Parliament last week, nearly coincided with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, where they agreed to improve diplomatic ties. Canada-India relations began to deteriorate after the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, where then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Modi only held informal talks, exchanging concerns over "anti-India activities" in the North American nation. Ties between the countries reached a low in October 2024 when Canadian officials accused Indian diplomats of targeting Sikh activists in Canada, leading to the mutual expulsion of diplomats. The CSIS report noted that in October 2024, Canadian investigators found evidence that linked agents of the Indian government and criminal networks to sow violent activity in South Asian communities in Canada. "Further, links between the Indian government 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," the report added. (
South China Morning Post
20-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Will India and Canada move beyond ‘past rancour' and normalise ties quickly?
The move by India and Canada to reinstate high commissioners in each other's capitals marks an important step towards mending their frayed relationship after the 2023 killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia. Following a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the sidelines of this week's Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, both countries issued separate statements to pledge their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. Analysts said the diplomatic move, which could bring about an easing of travel and visa restrictions and pave the way for deeper engagement in other areas, reflected a shared desire by Modi and Carney to move past the acrimony of the past two years. Modi described his talks with Carney as 'excellent', saying in a post on social media platform X that both leaders 'look forward to working closely to add momentum to the India–Canada friendship'. He identified trade, energy, space and critical minerals as areas of potential cooperation. A statement from Carney's office said the two leaders had agreed on the need to strengthen relations based on mutual respect, the rule of law and recognition of each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The positive tone arising from the meeting between Modi and Carney was a far cry from the nadir in the two countries' relationship in 2023 over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and the leader of a Sikh separatist movement in India. An accusation by former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau that Indian agents were allegedly involved in the killing prompted a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats from both sides.
Canada News.Net
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Small group of Khalistanis in Canada fund violence in India Ottawa
Canadian intelligence has said Sikh extremists use the country as a base to carry out anti-India activities A small number of Khalistani separatists in Canada continue to use the country as a base to fund political violence in India, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) has said in a report. Khalistanis, or Sikh separatists, seek to carve out an ethno-religious country from the Indian state of Punjab. The movement for a nation of Khalistan reached its peak in India in the 1980s and has few backers in the country now. However, members of the Sikh diaspora have been trying to revive the movement in Canada. India and Canada disagree on the degree of the threat posed by Khalistani activists. "Some Canadians participate in legitimate and peaceful campaigning to support the Khalistan movement," the CSIS said in its report. "Non-violent advocacy for an independent state of Khalistan is not considered extremism." The Canadian intelligencereportadded: "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 reaffirmed allegations of an Indian government connection in the killing of prominent Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The agency claimed that India, along with Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran, are the "main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage" against Canada. The report, which was presented in the Canadian Parliament last week, nearly coincided with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, where they agreed to improve diplomatic ties. Canada-India relations began to deteriorate after the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, where then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Modi only held informal talks, exchanging concerns over "anti-India activities" in the North American nation. Ties between the countries reached a low in October 2024 when Canadian officials accused Indian diplomats of targeting Sikh activists in Canada, leading to the mutual expulsion of diplomats. The CSIS report noted that in October 2024, Canadian investigators found evidence that linked agents of the Indian government and criminal networks to sow violent activity in South Asian communities in Canada. "Further, links between the Indian government 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," the report added.
