ISLAMABAD: A staggering influx of over 42,000 Canadian Sikhs congregated at the Khalistan referendum voting center in Malton, Ontario, following the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent pro-Khalistan leader in Canada.
The second phase of Canada Khalistan referendum voting was held within a month after the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside the local temple which has been celebrated in India by the Modi government and Indian media.
India had claimed the killing will dampen the spirits of pro-Khalistani Sikhs but Sunday’s turnout in Malton showed that Sikhs remain undeterred by the high-profile assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the hands of Indian agencies, as more than 42,000 Sikhs voted in the second phase Khalistan referendum in Canada, said a press release issued by Sikhs for Justice on Monday.
On July 16, Khalistan Referendum Centre at Gurdwara Malton was dedicated to Mohinder Singh Khalsa, a Canadian who left the country to fight for Khalistan in 1990’s. Sikhs who attended the event were carrying banners and flags with slogans of Khalistan, demand of freedom from India and tributes to those Sikhs who have been assassinated by India directly or indirectly for supporting the cause of Khalistan.
Men, women and youth who took part in the event chanted slogans vowing to avenge the killing of Shaheed Nijjar and others assassinated Khalistanis.
The voting was arranged by Sikhs For Justice under the supervision of the independent Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC). Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ’s General Counsel said about the turnout: “Assassination of Shaheed Nijjar by India worked as a catalyst to the ongoing Khalistan campaign. Thousands turned up in the Toronto Referendum challenging the Modi Government’s attempts to stop the movement.”
“India’s violence will be responded to by pro-Khalistan Sikhs in equal force,” added Pannun, who is coordinating the Global “Kill India” campaign to highlight the assassination of Shaheed Nijjar by Indian security agencies.
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