More than 75,000 Canadian Sikhs participated in the Khalistan Referendum Phase II in Mississauga, casting their votes in support of the separation of the state of Punjab from India in order to establish a separate homeland for Sikhs, despite the government of Narendra Modi’s loud protests and vehement opposition from Canadian Hindutva groups.
The Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC) oversaw the voting, which began at 9 am.
However, Sikh men and women from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) had been waiting in line to cast their ballots at the Paul Coffee Arena in Mississauga since 6 am.
A few Canadian Hindus who held Hindutva emblems and shouted that they would turn India into a “Hindu Country” under Modi’s leadership staged a counter-protest in response to the voting for the Khalistan Referendum on November 6.
“Today Canadian democracy prevailed and Modi’s fascism lost because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Government stood with the Sikhs’ right to freedom of expression in the face of great pressure from all Indian corners,” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the General Counsel of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
“After 110,000 votes on September 18 voting, 75,000 plus Canadian Sikhs once again proved their resolve to liberate Punjab from Indian occupation to create Khalistan in line with aspirations of thousands of Sikh martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for the cause,” the New York-based attorney said.
After more than 110,000 Canadian Sikhs took part in the first phase of the Khalistan Referendum on September 18, 2022, and a number of thousand were prevented from participating owing to a high turnout and the voting procedure closing at 5 pm, SFJ announced the second phase of the referendum.
Following the voting on September 18, the Khalistan advocacy group Sikhs for Justice, which is leading the campaign for the Khalistan Referendum to split Punjab from India and recognize it as a distinct country for Sikhs, began making preparations for the second part of the referendum.
India and Canada have been at war since the vote on September 18th.
The travel warning was released by the Justin Trudeau administration precisely four days after India’s government had warned its students traveling to or living in Canada aggressively on September 23 that Canada had turned into a hotbed of pro-Khalistan and anti-Indian activities.
In an unusual action, Canada warned its people against traveling to any locations in the Pakistan-bordering states of Gujarat, Punjab, and Rajasthan owing to the “presence of landmines” and “unpredictable security situation.”
Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, stated that India had expressed severe concerns to Canada regarding the Khalistan Referendum voting on September 18 in Brampton.
The Khalistan Referendum organized by the SFJ was referred to as a “farcical exercise” by India’s External Affairs Ministry, which also stated that India had strongly objected to “politically motivated exercises by extreme forces” being permitted to take place in a friendly nation like Canada.
After Canada informed India that the Canadian government will not interfere with any peaceful or legal activities by Canadian Sikhs, India became incensed.
