Mississauga: Despite vocal protest by Narendra Modi’s government and fierce opposition from Canadian Hindutva groups, more than 75,000 Canadian Sikhs voted in Khalistan Referendum Phase II for the secession of Punjab from India to create an independent Sikh homeland.
While the voting opened at 9:00 am under the supervision of Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC), Sikh men and women from Greater Toronto Area (GTA) lined up since 6am to cast their votes at the Paul Coffee Arena, Mississauga, a Canadian Government owned and operated facility.
The November 6 Khalistan Referendum voting drew a counter protest by a handful of Canadian Hindus who carried Hindutva symbols and were sloganeering that under Modi’s leadership they will make India a “Hindu Country”.
More than 110,000 Sikhs had voted on 18 September in a massive turnout and thousands were unable to vote as the voting ended at 5pm and it was not possible for the organizers to accommodate nearly 40,000 Sikhs who were still in queues as the voting ended. General Counsel to SFJ, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun stated, “6 November voting is a journey of the Sikh community from being the victim of genocide to seeking independence through Khalistan Referendum.” On 29 Oct 2022, Khalistan Referendum Rally “1984 Sikh Genocide” was held in Toronto to project Indian genocide against Sikhs in 1984 to highlight the legitimacy of Khalistan movement.
In a report, Canadian Think Tanks have acknowledged Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who are rightly campaigning to raise awareness and pressurize India to hold an official referendum on the creation of Khalistan. Despite India’s confrontation on referendum, Canada’s National Democratic Party (NDP) has announced its support for the Khalistan Referendum on Canadian soil, calling it the basic human right of Canadian Sikhs enshrined in the local and international laws.
Khalistan Referendum has drawn fierce opposition from New Delhi, Indian media and pro-India segments of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Indian government has been pro-actively labelling and equating the unofficial referendum on Khalistan as “terrorism” and has declared SFJ as an illegal organisation under the controversial Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) of India.
Already, SFJ leader Pannu called for a referendum on Khalistan, separation from the mainland, by 26 January 2023. Pannu has urged the Sikh community to support the Khalistan referendum to create a Sikh homeland in “Indian Occupied Punjab”. If India is real democracy, it should accept subject referendum results. The referendum result can be leveraged in ‘Lawfare Domain’ to ask India to hold an official referendum for the purpose.
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