April 5 ( Punjab Khabarnama) :
Toronto: Canada’s spy agency has said that Pakistan may have been involved in foreign interference activity in the country.
Pakistan was cited in a June 2019 classified briefing that was submitted to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, which is headed by Justice Marie-Josee Hogue, by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
The document, titled Classified Briefing to Political Parties: CSIS Mandate and Threat Landscape, contains information about the possible nature of Islamabad’s alleged foreign interference (FI) activity in Canada. The document, seen by the Hindustan Times, states, “Pakistani officials in Canada have likely tried to clandestinely influence Canadian politicians of Pakistani descent, with the aim of furthering Pakistani interests in Canada.”
The remainder of the section about Pakistan has been redacted.
This adds to the fresh revelations about Pakistan’s potential FI involvement, which has come to the fore in submissions to the Inquiry. A July 2021 briefing document from Canada’s Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force (SITE) TF also mentions Pakistan but all the relevant information in that section has been redacted.
The CSIS document identified the main actors carrying out FI activity in Canada as China and Russia. However, it also includes India and Iran. It stated that “the Sikh extremist threat, and monitoring the Sikh community in Canada, is a priority for Indian officials In Canada”.
The SITE TF noted that India is “interested in engaging its diaspora to shape political outcomes in its favour”. It also stated that India “engages in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians in order to advance its political interests.” It said India is “actively conducting FI and targets Canadian political figures”.
Earlier, an undated SITE TF document, cited by the outlet National Post, noted while China was the principal concern and “outpaces” other countries, “challenges remain” in dealing with others, including Pakistan. However, most of the information related to Pakistan was redacted in the version of the submission that was seen by the outlet.
It stated countries like Russia and India had “not yet demonstrated a significant threat to the election process”. India’s focus, it added, was on countering “perceived threats” within Canada.