Democracy Under Siege

Noureen Akhtar

Canada’s Final PIFI Report builds an unprecedented disclosure of foreign interference which seeks the very foundation of its democratic process. Released on early 2024, the Government of Canada report is highly specific in its recounting how various instruments in India’s state apparatus have covertly and overtly exercised control over the country’s domestic political system.

This report is on targeted efforts aimed at activists and pro-Khalistan groups who are trying to influence public debate in a very systematic and worrying way. The kind of revelations that have come to light have forced a complete re-evaluation of the core of the electoral process in Canada, revealing vulnerabilities that go far beyond the compromises of political manoeuvre.

The PIFI Report reveals a systematic attempt by foreign state actors to influence Canada’s political and electoral processes.

The core of the report is an inextricable tale of subversion across transnational lines. It documents how Indian intelligence and diplomatic networks have been engaged in trying political lobbying, media manipulation, economic, political and diplomatic, and sometimes even direct intimidation.

These multi-layered tactics, in both community and state levels, have generated a situation in which democracy institutions are on constant threat of extrinsic intrusion. The Intelligence assessments within the report now mark this risk as ‘moderate to high’ that should send shockwaves through any government assuring the sanctity of its electoral process.

The critics of the report argue that these operations are just another extension of India’s larger Hindutva agenda, which is of an export practice of an authoritarian administration under the garb of safeguarding national interest. Such critics argue that the interference is more than just designed to protect security and demand that the Sikh and Kashmiri voices be delegitimize.

The tactics remind one of the United Kingdom and United States alike, where pressure to adopt Modi pro narratives by political figures has become an alarming trend. The coincidence of two parallel developments suggests rather that Canada’s experience is not a special case, but rather an instance of larger pattern of transnational repression that undermines the very source of democratic governance everywhere.

The Report has far and wide ramifications. The fact, the era of global connectivity, has disrupted the traditional borders and one state’s ability to exert influence on the political processes of another is a grave violation of democratic norms. A harsh reality is forced upon us in the report: the way the world is structured and acted in has changed the threats to our democratic structure of governance.

Transnational repression threatens democratic institutions, shaping political narratives and silencing dissent on a global scale.

The digital platforms and social media have turned into the ideal conditions for the propagation of propaganda, disinformation – something that states actors have used and definitely used, to alter public opinion and destabilize the political environments.

In addition, the interference mentioned in the report is not limited to public opinion. This also stretches into the very centre of political decision-making process. The operations outlined in the report also dual effect of creating local conditions that do not allow dissent and shape political narrative to favour particular state backed interests.

Such actions restrict the dignity of the political autonomy and undermine the faith of the citizens in the democratic process. Unchecked, these practices could open a dangerous precedent affirming other states to adopt similar policies of stealth influence only heightening the intensity of destabilizing the world order.

Western democracies must act to these revelations in a forceful and clustered manner. The legal framework needs to be re-examined and reinforced to make sure that interference from abroad does not only happen to be monitored but is actually fought back. Legislative bodies should not merely recommend ways of curbing such subversive activities but should also formulate policies cleverly constructively joined by intelligence agencies to ensure that such subversive activities are detected and repercussed appropriately.

It is therefore a wakeup call as well as a blueprint for future action in this respect. Democratic nations can start to restore the legitimacy and independence of their electoral processes by improving cross border intelligence sharing and putting forward measure of rigorous oversight.

The stakes are extraordinarily high. In such a world, where foreign powers grow more insidious in controlling the fabric of societies, the fabric of democracy itself hangs on the motivations and actions of those who would secure its voters, the very bedrock of this system, in their most democratic moments.

We may watch as autonomy that world’s people have lived under democratic norms for centuries wither away, if the current trajectory of transnational repression is not challenged. It is not a Canadian problem but unfortunately, it is a global crisis that demands an immediate and decisive action. The international community has to come to the defence of the principles of transparency, accountability and political sovereignty.

Western democracies must respond with stricter legal frameworks, intelligence cooperation, and oversight to counter foreign interference.

And ultimately, in its Final PIFI Report, the Final PIFI Report if anything, is more than that: a record of our vulnerabilities in the connected world. Hence, we have to admit that in an age of rapid technological progress along with the shifting of the geopolitical power, can we at all ensure the integrity of our democratic institutions? It seems that the answer is up to us to decide to tackle this head on and conquer them.

We can, however, manage to hope that by acknowledging foreign interference as a sordid affair that has few singular ends, one committed to a unified and strategic response to this wither the elements of freedom and justice it still has become the oldest and brightest beacon throughout the world. However, failure to act decisively may well mark the end of democracy’s last remaining frontier, to be dealt with by future generations with the worst electoral consequences.

The Author is a PhD Scholar (SPIR-QAU) and has worked on various public policy issues as a Policy Consultant in the National Security Division (NSD), Prime Minister Office (PMO). Currently, she is communication head and editor Stratheia and works for Islamabad Policy Research Institution (IPRI) as a Non-Resident Policy Research Consultant. Her work has been published in local and International publications. She can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/noureen-akhtar-188502253/  and akhtarnoureen26@gmail.com  She Tweets @NoureenAkhtar16