The ISI-backed Khalistani network is back in the headlines after the attack on comedian Kapil Sharma’s cafe in Surrey, Canada. CNN-News18 has decoded the intricate network of ISI-backed Khalistani gangs operating across Canada, particularly linking the Kap’s Café attack to a wider secessionist conspiracy. According to high-level intelligence sources, the assault on Sharma’s café in South Vancouver was not an isolated incident but part of a sustained campaign orchestrated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to destabilise Indian interests overseas using Khalistani proxies. The Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), flagged as the most active ISI-backed group in Canada, has a documented history of radicalisation, violent plots, and anti-India propaganda. The BKI was responsible for the 1985 Air India bombing — the deadliest aviation terror attack before 9/11 — and is now believed to be behind the Kap’s Café shooting. Harjit Singh Laddi, a BKI operative designated as a terrorist by India, claimed responsibility for the attack in a video message. The World Sikh Organization (WSO), while presenting itself as a civil rights advocacy group, has been flagged by Indian intelligence for allegedly promoting Khalistani narratives and shielding extremist activity. Though no direct links have been established legally, its leadership reportedly shares proximity with ISI-backed campaigns. Another banned outfit, the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), is believed to have reactivated sleeper cells in Ontario and British Columbia with ISI’s covert support. These cells are being used for overseas mobilisation and propaganda. The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) — banned in India — also released a threatening video warning Kapil Sharma to “take Hindutva money back to India.” SFJ continues to promote the controversial ‘Referendum 2020’ agenda and is suspected of receiving encrypted funds and directives via Gulf and Pakistani intermediaries. SFJ is also believed to be linked to the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, which escalated tensions across Indo-Canadian communities. Later, this intensified retaliatory extremism, threats and extortion attempts on artists like Gippy Grewal, and repeated attacks on or intimidation of Hindu temple leaders across Vancouver and Brampton.