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Sikhs for Justice, the US-based organisation linked to designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun by Indian authorities, is holding its own Khalistan referendum-related event
For Canada, the Alberta developments create another layer to an already difficult problem. (News18)
A separatist campaign aimed at creating Khalistan in India is now unfolding alongside an entirely different separatist debate inside Canada—Alberta’s push for greater autonomy and a possible future vote on leaving the country.
The overlap is becoming increasingly visible as Alberta prepares for its October 19 referendum, which includes a question asking voters whether the provincial government should begin the constitutional process required to hold a future binding referendum on separation from Canada. The question itself is non-binding and would not make Alberta independent.
Against that backdrop, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the US-based organisation linked to designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun by Indian authorities, is holding its own Khalistan referendum-related event in Edmonton on October 18, according to the information available to News18.
The timing and use of similar “referendum” terminology have created an unusual political overlap: a Canadian province debating its own future within Canada, and a separatist organisation campaigning for a separate Sikh state in India, both seeking public attention in Alberta.
Two ‘Referendums’, One Alberta
Alberta’s official ballot contains 10 questions. The separation question asks: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
A vote to begin that process would not itself take Alberta out of Canada. It would only set in motion the legal steps towards a separate, binding referendum at a later stage.
SFJ’s campaign, meanwhile, is centred on its long-running demand for an independent Khalistan. The organisation says it is conducting non-binding referendums among Sikh communities in different countries as part of that campaign.
The Edmonton event is therefore not a Canadian referendum and has no legal bearing on Alberta’s constitutional status. But its proximity to the official Alberta vote, combined with the use of similar terminology and public campaigning, creates the possibility of confusion between two entirely separate separatist causes.
The Manjinder Singh Link
The security concerns surrounding the Khalistan campaign have also become more visible in Alberta.
In August, the RCMP issued a “duty to warn” notice to Manjinder Singh, an Abbotsford-based Sikh activist involved in the Khalistan campaign, warning him that his life was under a credible, serious and imminent threat. Police did not disclose the nature of the threat or identify those believed to be behind it.
Another activist, Inderjeet Singh Gosal of Ontario, also received an RCMP warning. Gosal has served as a Canadian coordinator of the Khalistan referendum campaign.
The warnings underline the security dilemma facing Canadian authorities: the state is simultaneously protecting activists involved in a separatist campaign, investigating threats against them and dealing with the wider criminal and extremist networks that have increasingly intersected with the issue.
How Did Canada Reach This Point?
The Khalistan issue in Canada has for years been a major source of friction between Ottawa and New Delhi.
Canada has maintained that activists campaigning for Khalistan are protected by freedom of expression and political rights, while India has designated SFJ and Pannun as terrorist-linked entities and views the Khalistan campaign as a national-security threat.
The issue escalated dramatically after the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia.
Canada has accused Indian government-linked actors of involvement in criminal activity on Canadian soil. The RCMP has also publicly said its investigations found evidence involving homicides, extortion, organised crime and interference in democratic processes.
At the same time, India has repeatedly rejected allegations that its government is involved in such attacks.
The result has been a complicated security environment in which separatist activism, organised crime and allegations of foreign interference increasingly overlap.
The Gangster Connection
Canadian authorities have also been dealing with a separate but related wave of extortion and violence affecting South Asian communities.
The RCMP said in 2024 that it had investigated homicides, extortions and other violent crimes and had identified more than a dozen credible and imminent threats that resulted in “duty to warn” notifications to members of the South Asian community, particularly those associated with the pro-Khalistan movement.
Canadian law enforcement has also investigated alleged links between criminal networks and violence directed at members of the South Asian community. This is where the security challenge becomes considerably more complicated than a simple India-versus-Khalistan dispute.
A New Problem For Ottawa?
For Canada, the Alberta developments create another layer to an already difficult problem.
The country’s security agencies have to distinguish between legitimate political activity protected under Canadian law, extremist activity, foreign interference and ordinary organised crime, even when individuals or networks may overlap.
The RCMP has itself described the threat environment as involving both violent extremism and organised crime, while warning that such activity has consequences for public safety.
The Alberta episode adds a striking new dimension: separatist politics is no longer confined to the India-Khalistan dispute. It is now unfolding alongside a genuine Canadian debate over provincial autonomy and the possibility of an eventual Alberta independence vote.
The two movements are not the same and have no demonstrated organisational connection. But their campaigns are unfolding in the same province, around the same time, with both using the language of referendums and political separation.
For Ottawa, that makes the security challenge harder, not easier.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Alberta’s October 19 referendum includes a non-binding question asking voters if the provincial government should begin the constitutional process required to hold a future binding referendum on separation from Canada, which would not make Alberta independent on its own.
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Group Editor, Investigations and Security Affairs, Network18
October 08, 2026, 3:40 PM IST
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