Narcotics & Terror: ISI–Khalistani Nexus Expanding In Western Countries, Warn Sources | Exclusive

Last Updated:August 08, 2025, 16:14 IST

According to a dossier accessed by CNN-News18, the nexus spans funding, arms and narcotics trafficking, and coordinated campaigns aimed at destabilising Indian interests abroad.

Protestors of the Khalistan movement demonstrate outside of the Indian High Commission in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (AP Photo)

Top Indian intelligence sources have warned of a deepening nexus between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Khalistani extremist groups operating in major diaspora hubs across the West. According to a classified dossier accessed by CNN-News18, the collaboration spans funding, arms smuggling, narcotics trafficking, and coordinated propaganda campaigns aimed at destabilising Indian interests abroad.

Sources say that the Khalistani movement, which waned in India after the 1990s, has found fresh ground in countries such as Canada, the US, and the UK — a resurgence fuelled by Sikh migration after 1984. These diaspora hubs, intelligence officials note, are now being exploited by ISI to provide tactical support to outfits like Babbar Khalsa (BKI), Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

Joint Operations and Digital Coordination

Top intelligence sources confirm that Khalistani and ISI operatives have conducted joint operations in the UK, including attacks on Indian diplomatic missions such as the vandalism at the Indian High Commission in London in March 2025. According to the dossier, ISI handlers based in Pakistan are using new-age technology to coordinate activities digitally from safe zones, with operations ranging from cyber propaganda to real-world sabotage.

The intelligence assessment highlights that Khalistan referendums held abroad between 2021 and 2024 were largely orchestrated by SFJ, with significant ISI funding and cyber support. Sources say these campaigns are framed as “democratic dissent" to exploit Western legal protections, complicating India’s counter-terror diplomacy.

Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Charities

Investigations cited by top intelligence officials reveal a lucrative narcotics pipeline involving Pakistani suppliers and Khalistani logistical controllers, often using trucking networks in North America. Between 2023 and 2025, authorities in the US seized 8 kg of fentanyl linked to the network, while Canadian police busted a $48 million cocaine operation with clear ISI–KLF ties.

In 2025, Canadian authorities also dismantled a drug-financed laundering network funnelling proceeds through religious charities, with several transport companies found to have direct links to Khalistani groups and ISI. Surveillance, according to intelligence sources, uncovered encrypted chats discussing both weapon transfers and funding for anti-India street protests.

Violence and Targeted Killings

Top intelligence officials further allege that ISI has been sharing targeting information with Khalistani extremists for attacks on Sikh moderates in the West. The FBI’s 2025 arrest of Harpreet Singh and associates in California exposed a plot involving ISI intelligence inputs. This, sources say, is part of a broader plan combining physical violence, cyber operations, and psychological warfare against Indian interests.

Political and Legal Shields

According to intelligence sources, the reluctance of Western governments — particularly in Canada and the UK — to act decisively is partly due to the electoral clout of the Sikh diaspora. Canada, for instance, has 15 Sikh MPs, some of whom have opposed Indian extradition requests and resisted moves to crack down on radical elements.

British intelligence agencies, MI5, and law enforcement have also flagged a direct overlap between pro-Khalistan activists and pro-ISI Islamist actors during riots and embassy attacks. Sources add that Khalistani organisations are increasingly exploiting Western legal systems to sue Indian officials, delay extraditions, and stall investigations — often with indirect legal guidance from ISI-linked advisers.

Coordinated Disinformation Campaigns

Indian agencies, according to top intelligence sources, have traced multiple ISI-backed servers hosting anti-India disinformation networks. Many of these are run by the Pakistani military’s media wing, ISPR, and rely on bot networks to amplify Khalistan-related propaganda.

The dossier concludes with a warning: continued inaction by Western allies could endanger Indian diplomatic missions, threaten diaspora security, and allow narcotics-linked terror financing to flourish unchecked.

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