The attack on comedian Kapil Sharma’s café in Surrey, Canada, has been linked to an expansive ISI-backed Khalistani network, marking a renewed campaign by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence to target Indian interests overseas through extremist proxies, intelligence sources revealed.
The assault on Kap’s Café in South Vancouver is part of a broader secessionist agenda. Harjit Singh Laddi, a known Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative designated as a terrorist by India, claimed responsibility for the shooting in a video message. BKI, historically tied to the 1985 Air India bombing, remains the most active ISI-linked group in Canada, according to Indian intelligence.
The World Sikh Organization (WSO) is under watch for allegedly promoting Khalistani narratives despite its civil rights advocacy image.
The International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), a banned group, is believed to have reactivated sleeper cells in Ontario and British Columbia with ISI’s covert support.
Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), also banned in India, issued a video warning Sharma and has been linked to cross-border funding, propaganda, and the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey.
The resurgence of Khalistani-linked extremism in Canada has triggered a wave of threats and intimidation, including extortion attempts on artists like Gippy Grewal and attacks on Hindu religious leaders in Vancouver and Brampton.
Indian intelligence sees the current string of violent incidents as part of a sustained ISI strategy to radicalize diaspora communities and destabilize India’s global image, particularly through soft targets and diaspora influencers. (Agencies)
