Days After Doval-Drouin Meet, Canada Arrests Khalistani Operative & Pannun's Close Aide Gosal

New Delhi: Days after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin in New Delhi, the Canadian police have arrested Khalistani operative Inderjit Singh Gosal, a close aide of US-based separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The move is being seen as Ottawa’s strongest signal yet of intent to act on New Delhi’s concerns over extremist networks operating on Canadian soil. The two NSAs had agreed to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and transnational crime as part of efforts to reset bilateral ties strained in recent years.

Arrested On Firearms-Related Charges

Gosal, 36, was detained in Ottawa on multiple firearms-related charges. Officials say he served as Pannun’s personal security officer and was a key organiser for the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), the group banned in India since 2019.

His record includes a November 2024 arrest in connection with an attack on worshippers at a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto area. Though he was released on conditional bail, he reportedly remained active in organising Khalistan “referendum” drives.

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Links to SFJ and Pannun

India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has declared Pannun an “individual terrorist” and filed over 100 cases against him and SFJ, nearly 60 in Punjab alone. Gosal’s proximity to Pannun made him one of the most prominent Khalistani figures in Canada following the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023.

Diplomatic Significance

Observers say the timing of Gosal’s arrest — just days after the Doval–Drouin meeting — underscores a new seriousness in Ottawa’s response to India’s security concerns. Relations between the two countries had soured after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in Nijjar’s killing, a claim New Delhi dismissed.

With Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government now seeking to repair ties, Gosal’s arrest may mark a turning point in how Canada handles Khalistani elements abroad.