India's Ministry of External Affairs urged Canada on May 7, 2024 [1], to take action against anti-India extremist elements operating from Canadian soil.
The request highlights growing diplomatic tension between the two nations over the presence of Khalistani groups. India views these elements as a national security threat, suggesting that the permissive environment in Canada allows extremists to coordinate activities that destabilize regional security.
The diplomatic appeal follows a report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) that flagged Khalistani extremist elements as a threat to India [2]. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India called upon Canada to combat these elements to prevent further escalation [3].
Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for the MEA, addressed the friction between the two governments. He said that concerns between the two countries should be addressed through established diplomatic mechanisms rather than politicised public narratives [4].
India has previously raised concerns regarding the activities of separatist groups based in North America. The government maintains that the failure to curb such elements undermines the bilateral relationship, a sentiment echoed in the latest appeal to the Canadian government [2].
By focusing on the CSIS intelligence report, India is leveraging Canada's own security findings to justify its demand for a crackdown on extremist groups [2]. The MEA continues to push for a security-first approach to manage the presence of these groups within Canada's borders [3].
“India urges Canada to combat Khalistani extremism as a national security threat”
This diplomatic push indicates that India is attempting to shift the narrative from bilateral interference to a shared security concern by citing Canada's own intelligence services. By anchoring its demands in a CSIS report, India seeks to pressure Canada into taking concrete legal or administrative action against Khalistani activists, signaling that the stability of the relationship depends on Canada's willingness to police domestic extremist elements.
