New Delhi: Amid the Canada-India showdown, it turns out that Pakistan played a role in influencing Canada’s federal politics, and the country’s actions were tied to their support of Sikh separatist extremism, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has confirmed. In a significant revelation, senior officers of the Canadian spy agency—Vanessa Lloyd and Bo Basler, also confirmed Pakistan’s participation in working “to support a preferred candidate’s election,” according to a report in The Print.
On 27 September, in a session before the Foreign Interference Commission, Lloyd, interim director of the CSIS (the first woman to lead the agency), provided insights into Pakistan’s involvement in foreign interference activities within Canada. Lloyd highlighted that Pakistan’s engagement in Canadian politics is often aimed at countering India’s influence.
As tensions between India and Canada escalate once again, a video of this session is being circulated online amid tensions between India and Canada escalating once again, the report added.
Notably, India and Canada have each expelled six diplomats, with India also recalling its High Commissioner from Canada, amid a row over the alleged killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Engagement of Pakistan is consistently in balance with trying to reduce the influence of India,” said Lloyd. Moreover, she added, “The influence of Pakistan is directly related to the support of Khalistani extremism”, indicating that Pakistan may be amplifying other voices and groups to further its strategic interests against its neighbour.
To lead attorney Shantona Chaudhury question if Pakistan “attempted to clandestinely influence federal politics, to further the Government of Pakistan’s interests in India,” Bo Basler, the Counter Foreign Interference Coordinator (CFIC) for CSIS confirmed that Pakistan was involved where it worked to support a candidate and Elections Canada and the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections (OCCE) were aware of such information.
These revelations came to the fore during a recent set of hearings that began on September 16. The Foreign Interference Commission aims to uncover the extent of foreign meddling that may have influenced the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, particularly concerning the experiences of various diaspora communities in Canada.
