‘Politically motivated violence’: Khalistani groups receive funds from Canada; report raises red flags

Several terrorist groups, together with Khalistani extremist organisations, are nonetheless getting monetary help from Canada to fund politically motivated violence, in accordance with a brand new report by the Canadian Department of Finance.The 2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks lists groups like Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation underneath the class of Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE). The report says these groups misuse funding networks, together with charities and non-profits, to help their actions.PMVE is outlined within the report as “the use of violence to establish new political systems or new structures and norms within existing systems.”These Khalistani groups are already banned underneath Canada’s Criminal Code, which additionally lists Hamas and Hezbollah.The report states: “Several terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code in Canada that fall under the 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.”Canada’s monetary intelligence company FINTRAC had earlier warned, in 2022, that Hezbollah was the second commonest worldwide terrorist group to get funds from Canada.The new report explains how these groups increase cash. While Hamas and Hezbollah are described as “well-resourced” and recognized to make use of banks, cryptocurrencies, state sponsorship, and charities, Khalistani extremists are suspected of elevating funds in comparable methods, particularly by asking for donations from diaspora communities.The report provides: “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. Despite these observations, it is estimated that revenue generation through NPO abuse represents a relatively small percentage of operational budgets of terrorist groups overall.”Earlier this yr, Canada’s high intelligence company, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), additionally admitted that Khalistani extremists are utilizing Canadian soil to advertise, fundraise, and plan violence in India. Its annual report in June clearly said: “Khalistani extremists continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India.”India has been elevating considerations about this concern for years, saying Canada has turn into a protected haven for anti-India components. The CSIS report has now confirmed these considerations.The report additionally famous that because the mid-Nineteen Eighties, the Khalistani extremist menace in Canada has largely come from Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) who wish to create a separate state known as Khalistan in Punjab, India.The findings have reignited debate about extremist exercise in Canada and its influence on relations with India. The report known as for sturdy monitoring of each international affect and home extremist financing networks.