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A Canadian government report has revealed that Khalistani violent extremist groups are among the terrorist entities receiving financial support from the country.
Khalistanis in Canada: Report says Khalistani groups receive funding from Canada (AFP Image)
Khalistani violent extremist groups are among “several terrorist entities” that have been receiving financial support originating from Canada, a Canadian government report on terror financing and money laundering revealed.
As per a report on ‘2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks in Canada’, Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation are among the Khalistani groups that have received funding from Canada.
“Several terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code in Canada that fall under the Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE) category, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Khalistani violent extremist groups Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation, have been observed by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to receive financial support originating from Canada,” the report said.
The government report acknowledged that the Khalistani extremist groups are resorting to “violent means to establish an independent state within Punjab, India”. It said that such groups are suspected of raising funds in various countries, including Canada.
“These groups previously had an extensive fundraising network in Canada but now appear to consist of smaller pockets of individuals with allegiance to the cause but seemingly no particular affiliation to a specific group,” the report said.
Shedding light on the financing network of such outfits, the report revealed that they use non-profit organisations, among other means, to raise funds for their activities.
“The misuse of the charitable and NPO sectors has been observed as a prominent financing method used by Hamas and Hezbollah. Khalistani violent extremist groups have also been known to use networks to solicit donations from diaspora communities to raise and move funds, including through NPOs,” the report said.
It further noted that the NPOs in Canada have little to no risks for money laundering and terrorist financing, “with only a small subset undertaking activities that are vulnerable to terrorist financing abuse”.
However, it suggested that these risks should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The Khalistani extremism finds mention in the report, as India-Canada ties have seen a gradual improvement since the Mark Carney government came to power in Canada.
In a sign of attempts to improve strained ties, India and Canada announced new high commissioners to each other’s countries last month. Relations hit a new low before that as former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India was linked to the killing of a Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
India’s previous high commissioner had left Canada in October.
Ottawa said that he was among six diplomats “expelled” after they were linked, without proof, to Nijjar’s murder. India also said that it had ordered the expulsion of six high-ranking Canadian diplomats.
Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes…Read More
Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes… Read More
September 06, 2025, 08:34 IST
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