Canada admits Khalistani terror groups received funds from government: Report

A recent report from the Canadian government has revealed that several terrorist organisations, including the Khalitstani groups, have received financial support from within the country.

 

The report ‘2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks in Canada’, released by the Department of Finance, has named two Khalistani groups—the  Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation—in the list of outfits that received funds for activities linked to Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE).

 

Terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah have also been named under the PMVE, which the report describes as the use of violence to establish new political systems and structures within the existing systems.

 

“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 Canadian government acknowledged in the report that Khalistani extremist groups were resorting to violent means to establish an independent state within Punjab, India. It claimed that the terror groups were capitalising on charitable funds for drug trafficking and auto theft. It also pointed out the misuse of the non-profit sector and donations from expatriates by the Khalistani terror groups.

 

"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.

 

India had raised concerns about Canada funding Khalistani activities multiple times during former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's term. The relations between the two countries became strained after Canada accused India of assassinating Sikh leader and a proponent of the Khalistani movement, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil. India had dismissed the claims as absurd.

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