Thousands of Canadian Sikhs cast vote in Khalistan referendum
World
SFJ-hosted referendum in Vancouver registers high voter turnout, another voting phase next month
VANCOUVER, CANADA (Haseeb Arsalan) – Hundreds of thousands of Canadian Sikhs cast their votes in the Khalistan Referendum for the ultimate creation of Khalistan, a free and sovereign homeland for millions of Sikhs scattered around the world.
The Khalistan Referendum, organised by the US-based Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) group, started in October 2021 in the UK and so far the voting has been held in over a dozen European capitals. The previous highest turnout was in Canada’s Brompton five months ago, but the participation of over 135,000 Sikhs in Surrey BC at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara broke all the previous records. Several hundred staff, hired by the independent Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC), managed the voting process.
The voting was closed at 5:00 pm by the commission as over 40,000 still queued to vote, but were unable to do so due to the strict rules around the timing and the international voting regulations. PRC head Dane Waters announced that given the huge number of people who couldn’t vote another phase of voting would be held on October 29 in Vancouver.
Thousands of local Sikhs made queues to cast their votes from early morning. They were carrying posters of the Sikh martyrs and chanting devotional and political slogans in support of the creation of Khalistan.
The voting was held at the gurdwara, where leading Sikh activist and Khalistan Referendum President Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated on June 18 this year.
At the end of the voting, SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun told the crowd that the Indian government had yet again declared a war on Sikhs by assassinating Hardeep Nijjar.
He blamed the Indian diplomats in Canada, Indian intelligence agencies, Ajit Doval, Amit Shah and Narendra Modi for the killing of Hardeep Nijjar.
Addressing the crowd, Dr Bakhshish Singh Sandhu, the president of the Council of Khalistan, said that the Canadian Sikhs had sent out a clear message to the Indian government that they would never accede to Indian oppression and would continue their struggle till gaining freedom. “The massive turnout shows Khalistan movement is not a fringe matter, but a popular demand of millions of Sikhs.”
Dr Sandhu welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement in India where he said he had raised the issue of Indian interference in Canadian affairs with the Modi government. Ahead of visiting India for the G20 Summit, Trudeau had said he would address the concerns regarding “foreign interference”, including those related to India during the G20 summit.
It is estimated that more than 750,000 Sikhs live in Canada – the largest number outside of India – but Sikh groups say the real number is over one million, who have left India to make Canada their home.
These referendums, initiated at the UK’s Queen Elizabeth Centre in October 2021, have been conducted in more than two dozen cities worldwide.
