India is planning to drag Canada to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for its inaction over Khalistani extremism and terror funding. As per Indian officials, despite New Delhi having shared ‘credible and clinching’ evidence with Ottawa, the latter has failed to rein in terror funding operations on its soil.

As per media reports, India might share a “dossier of the old and new evidence” with the FATF, the Paris-based watchdog responsible for legal, regulatory and operational measures to combat money laundering and terror financing.

“Canada acquiescing to India’s demand to reduce its diplomatic strength by 41 is not enough as India’s key concern is about funding and shielding of Khalistanis on Canadian soil,” a diplomatic source was quoted as saying by The Sunday Guardian.

The Core Issue

According to Indian officials, Canada has been trying to divert the global community’s attention from the core issue of terror funding by accusing India of flouting international norms.

“The core issue in India’s relationship with Canada is the safe space that terrorists and criminal elements have secured in that country,” the official said.

“India has no other option but to report Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s inaction against pro-Khalistan elements in his country to FATF,” another official aware of the developments was quoted as saying by The Sunday Guardian.

Trudeau’s Inaction Over Terror

As per a former director of India’s prime anti-terror agency National Investigation Agency (NIA), India has on several occasions shared multiple evidence-based inputs with Ottawa against Khalistani militants but it resulted in no action from the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

According to officials in New Delhi, Ottawa has never helped India whenever it tried to get any militant or proven criminal deported or extradited.

“This is also another fact that needs to be shared with the FATF,” one diplomatic source said.

Remarks By S Jaishankar

Last week, India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar made clear that the country had “problems with certain segments of Canadian politics".

He also warned that “more stuff will come out” against Canada in the future from India, which will help people understand “why we had the kind of discomfort with many of them (diplomats).”

His statement follows Canada’s action of pulling out 41 diplomats from India.