India’s has ‘legitimate’ concerns over pro-Khalistan movement in Canada: Inquiry commission

It stated Canada and India have worked together for decades, but there were “challenges in the relationship”. Many of these, it said, were long standing and inform India’s foreign interference activities

Toronto: While the final report of a public inquiry alleged that India is the “second most active country engaging in electoral foreign interference in Canada”, it also appeared to acknowledge India’s has “legitimate” concerns over the pro-Khalistan movement in Canada.

Commissioner Justice Marie-Josee Hogue speaks to reporters after the release of the final report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday. (REUTERS)

Only China, the report stated, has a greater impact on the country’s democratic processes. The final report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, which is headed by Justice Marie-Josee Hogue, was released on Tuesday in Ottawa. Other nations accused of interference included Russia, Pakistan and Iran.

The report stated that according to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) “India has some legitimate basis for concerns about the security threat posed by Khalistani extremism in Canada. Some extremists have engaged in threat-related activities directed at India from within Canada, notably by coordinating and funding terrorist activities in India.”

But, it added, as per CSIS, “the vast majority of Khalistan supporters are peaceful”.

It also said, “India does not appear to differentiate between lawful pro-Khalistan political advocacy and the relatively small number of Canada-based Khalistani violent extremists.”

It stated Canada and India have worked together for decades, but there were “challenges in the relationship”. Many of these, it said, were long standing and inform India’s foreign interference activities. “India perceives Canada as not taking India’s national security concerns about Khalistani separatism (the goal of an independent Sikh homeland in northern India called “Khalistan”) sufficiently seriously.”

It said India “focuses its foreign interference activities on the Indo-Canadian community and on prominent non-Indo-Canadians to achieve its objectives”, adding that New Delhi “has targeted all levels of government”.

Soon after the report was released on Tuesday, India had rejected its findings. A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “We have seen a report about alleged activities on purported interference. It is in fact Canada which has been consistently interfering in India’s internal affairs.”

It added it rejected the report’s “insinuations on India”.