Vancouver, Canada, October 30 , 2023 : Over 200,000 Canadian Sikhs exercised their voting rights in the Khalistan Referendum, which took place in Surrey, British Columbia, as a tribute to the late Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar had served as the President of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Surrey and tragically fell victim to assassination by Indian agents on June 18th.
At the conclusion of October 29th phase II, voting, the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun addressed the gathering virtually from Washington DC and stated that Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder had exposed India as a terror-sponsoring state before the whole world, as confirmed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Pannun said: “This is a war between Punjab and India in which the occupying force is using the violence while Sikhs are using the votes. SFJ is not taking down India with the bullets at this time, instead we are using ballots, the most potent weapon of this century to kill the Indian system which is responsible for the Genocide of tens of thousands of Sikhs.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun added: “Over 60,000 strong turn out of voters in Phase II defied Narendra Modi government’s terror tactics to stop the Khalistan Referendum voting by stopping visas, cancelling identity and travel cards and threats of singling out family members of Khalistan supporters in Punjab.”
An estimated 140,000 Canadian Sikhs had taken part in the first phase of the Khalistan Referendum voting at the same Gurdwara in September this year but several thousands were unable to vote at the time of the conclusion of the voting and the second phase for 29th October was announced to accommodate those who were unable to vote.
At the conclusion of the October 29th voting, two resolutions were passed by the gathering: with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement in Parliament that Indian agents are behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Verma should be arrested and prosecuted for conspiring and directing Nijjar’s assassination; to ensure that Verma is prosecuted for the assassination of a Canadian Citizen, the Sikhs For Justice will invoke “Citizen’s Arrest” Clause of the Canadian law for which SFJ has allocated a budget of $100,000; and holding Delhi responsible for Genocide of Sikhs and attack on Sikhism, SFJ released a new map extending the boundaries of Sikh homeland to include India’s Capital Delhi as part of Khalistan.
The SFJ announced to organize Khalistan Referendum Voting in Abbotsford, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal during 2024 but a date will be announced later. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said: “While 29th October Voting Centre in Surrey BC was dedicated to Shaheed Nijjar who sacrificed his life struggling for liberation of Punjab through Khalistan Referendum, the upcoming voting Centers will be dedicated to Shaheed Ravinder Singh Pannu, Shaheed Bhupinder Singh Kooner, and Shaheed Balbir Singh Khaira, all Canadian Sikhs, to honor their sacrifice during armed phase of Khalistan movement.”
45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fatally shot outside the same Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a significant Sikh population, where the second phase of Khalistan Referendum took place on Sunday. Nijjar was an advocate for a Sikh homeland in Punjab and minutes before his killing he delivered his last speech in support of Khalistan Referendum.
