India on Thursday urged Canada to take action against “anti-India extremist elements” operating from Canadian soil, including steps to counter their threats against Indian leaders and diplomats, in the wake of an intelligence report highlighting the national security threat posed by Khalistani elements.
The involvement of Canada-based Khalistani extremists in “violent extremist activities…continues to pose a threat to Canada’s national security and Canadian interests,” the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) 2025 annual report released last week said.
The Indian side has long maintained that the activities of Khalistani separatists in Canada – including threats to Indian diplomats and the holding of so-called referendums on the creation of an independent Khalistan in the state of Punjab – must be firmly addressed by the Canadian authorities. This issue became a major nuisance in bilateral relations during the term of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“India has repeatedly urged the Canadian government to take effective action against anti-India extremist elements operating from its territory. This includes addressing the issue of glorification of violence, threats against Indian leaders and diplomats, vandalism of places of worship and attempts to promote secession through so-called ‘referendums,'” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press conference.
Jaiswal, who was responding to a question about the CSIS report, said India has consistently raised concerns about Canadian territory being used “as a safe haven by extremist and separatist elements.”
“The CSIS assessment acknowledges the presence of supporters of the Khalistan separatist movement in Canada and notes that Khalistan extremist groups based in Canada continue to pose a national security threat not only to India but also to Canada,” he said.
Jaiswal said the report also highlights that “such elements abuse democratic freedoms and institutions to promote extremism and raise funds that are diverted towards violent activities.”
Following the election of new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last year, the two sides took a range of steps to repair bilateral relations and strengthen security cooperation on matters such as the activities of Khalistani separatists.
Jaiswal responded to another question about the same CSIS report including India — along with China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan — among the “major perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada” by saying that the Indian side has steadfastly and categorically rejected such “baseless assumptions.”
He said: “India is a democratic country that adheres to international standards and respects the sovereignty of other countries. It is not our policy to interfere in the issues of other countries. We believe that any concerns of this kind should be addressed through well-established mechanisms, and not through general or politicized narratives.”
