Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. File | Photo credit: PTI
India on Thursday (May 7, 2026) called on Canada to crack down on “anti-Indian extremist elements” operating from Canadian soil amid a Canadian intelligence report that highlighted the national security threat posed by Khalistani elements.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s (CSIS) 2025 annual report released last week said the involvement of Canadian Khalistani extremists in “violent extremist activities” continues to pose a national security threat to Canada.
Also read | Canada declares Khalistan extremists ‘threat to national security’
“India has repeatedly urged the Canadian government to take effective action against anti-Indian extremist elements operating from its soil. This includes addressing the issue of glorification of violence, threats to Indian leaders and diplomats, vandalism of places of worship and attempts to promote secessionism through so-called ‘referendums’,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
Mr. Jaiswal was responding to a question about the CSIS report.
He said India has consistently raised concerns about the use of Canadian territory as a “safe haven” by extremist and separatist elements.
“The CSIS assessment recognizes the presence of supporters of the Khalistani separatist movement in Canada and finds that the Canadian Khalistani Extremist Group (CBKE) continues to pose a national security threat not only to India but also to Canada,” he said.
Also read | Khalistan extremists receive financial support from inside Canada: report
Mr Jaiswal said the report also highlighted that these elements “abuse democratic freedoms and institutions to promote extremism and raise funds that are diverted to violent activities”.
To a separate question on a CSIS report that listed India along with China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan among the “prime perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against Canada”, Mr Jaiswal said New Delhi consistently and categorically rejected such “baseless imputations”.
“India’s position on this issue has been clear and consistent. We categorically reject such baseless imputation,” he said.
“India is a democracy that abides by international norms and respects the sovereignty of other nations. It is not our policy to interfere in the affairs of other countries.”
“We believe that any concerns of this nature should be addressed through established mechanisms, rather than through public or politicized narratives,” Mr Jaiswal said.
Published – May 8, 2026 0:56 AM IST
