New Delhi, October 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is reportedly reassessing its funding strategy for the Khalistan movement amid indications that the separatist campaign has a stronger presence on social media than on the ground, according to intelligence assessments cited by IANS.
The Pakistani intelligence agency has allegedly been providing funds, cultivating links with gangs and supporting groups operating from foreign countries in an effort to revive the movement in Punjab. However, officials cited in the report say that support for the cause has declined, with some former supporters distancing themselves from groups they believe are increasingly involved in drug and arms trafficking and extortion.
The proscribed organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), one of the most vocal advocates of Khalistan, continues to promote the demand for a separate state carved out of Punjab. The group has also organised referendums and targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in its campaigns.
According to officials cited by IANS, recent SFJ events have reportedly attracted only around 20 to 30 people, despite attempts to amplify their visibility online.
“However, when the content is put up on social media, there is a lot of re-working of the videos that is done in a bid to amplify the event,” an official said.
Canada has historically been an important base for Khalistan-related activities, with sections of the Sikh diaspora supporting the movement. One official claimed that support among Canadian Sikhs had fallen from an estimated 20 to 30 per cent to below 5 per cent.
The official added that some members of the Sikh community increasingly view organisations such as SFJ as liabilities, alleging that their activities and links with criminal networks have undermined the community’s standing and the efforts of Sikhs living abroad.
Another official said that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s characterisation of Khalistani elements as a national security threat had also influenced perceptions of the movement.
The report further cited the rejection of some asylum claims by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board and federal courts, with certain claims reportedly being characterised as opportunistic.
An Intelligence Bureau official said Indian and Canadian agencies were working more closely on the issue. The official alleged that declining donations and waning support had prompted some Khalistan-linked groups to resort to threatening members of the Sikh diaspora for money.
“The lack of major donations and the declining support for the moment has made them desperate for funds. They have been threatening the Sikh diaspora to dole out money and in the bargain have modelled themselves as desperate extortionists rather than activists fighting for a cause,” the official said.
Despite the reported decline in support, Indian agencies continue to monitor Khalistan-linked elements, with officials warning that reduced traction could increase the risk of desperate attempts to stage major incidents.
According to the report, the ISI is also examining how to allocate additional funds while limiting the risk of money being diverted by financially strained groups. Its potential approach could involve backing SFJ’s social media campaigns and investing in political advocacy groups to sustain the movement’s visibility.
The report also recalled that, in 2023, a Sikh delegation met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and said initiatives undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the community had contributed to the movement losing momentum.
An official alleged that SFJ would seek to counter such views by circulating narratives portraying the Indian government as anti-Sikh, in the hope of deepening divisions between the Sikh community and the government and triggering unrest in Punjab.
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