Khalistan Referendum

Last updated

Khalistan Referendum
Part of the Khalistan movement
Banner of the Khalistan Referendum
Date31 October 2021 – present
VenueFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
TypeReferendum
ThemePotential creation of an independent Sikh state
WebsiteReferendum2020.org

The Khalistan Referendum is an unofficial non binding referendum organized by the Sikhs for Justice across multiple countries regarding the potential creation of a separate Sikh state from within the territory of India. [1] The proposed state will include Indian Punjab, as well as Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and several districts of Uttarakhnad, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. [2] Its goal is to seek a consensus among diasporic Sikhs for the creation of a nation-state to be called Khalistan. [3]

Contents

Background

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which was banned in India in 2019, intends to conduct the referendum in Punjab and major cities worldwide. The Indian government has accused Canada of permitting extremists to carry out activities that are "deeply objectionable" and "politically motivated," which pose a threat to India's integrity. While Canadian authorities have defended the exercise as an exercise of freedom of speech the Khalistani campaign has become a contentious issue in the relationship between New Delhi and Ottawa. There are numerous cases registered in India against the SFJ and its founder, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. [4] [5] [6] In India, politicians in Punjab say the Khalistan movement there has been practically nonexistent for decades. [7] [8]

Referendum by country

United Kingdom

On 31 October 2021, about 30,000 Sikhs took part in the first phase of the Khalistan referendum in London. [9] [1] A similar referendum was held in London in November 2021 with campaigners claiming that some 10,000 people participated. [10] On 9 January 2022, the cities of Leeds and Luton hosted the eighth round of the Khalistan Referendum. [11]

Switzerland

On 10 December 2021, over 6,000 Sikhs from Switzerland and neighboring France, Italy, and Germany converged in Geneva to vote in the non-binding Khalistan referendum despite a heavy snow and rain storm. [12] [13]

Italy

On 4 July 2022, on the initiative of the advocacy group Sikhs For Justice, about 62,000 Sikhs participated in the Khalistan referendum in Rome. [12] [14] [15]

Canada

On 19 September 2022, according to reports, 110,000 people participated in the Khalistan referendum in Brampton. [1] The referendum results were not disclosed by SFJ. A second referendum was held on 10 September 2023 at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. [16] On 29 October 2023, a third referendum round was held, again in Surrey. [17] [18] [19] [20] The group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) claimed that combined voter count crossed 200,000 (2 lakh).

Australia

On 29 January 2023, the Australian chapter's referendum for Khalistan's independence was held in Federation Square in Melbourne. [21] The referendum results were not disclosed by SFJ some sources cited that over 31,000 people participated in referendum. The referendum was marred by violence, with two Sikh activists detained after two people were injured in a brawl at a polling station. [22] [23]

United States

On 28 January 2024, about 127,000 people cast their ballots in the American phase of Khalistan Referendum held at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, California. [24] On 31 March 2024, second phase of referendum was held in Sacramento, California. where around 61,000 people participated. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhs</span> Ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism

Sikhs are an ethnoreligious group and Indo-European people who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya, meaning 'seeker', 'disciple' or 'student'. According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the Sikh Rehat Maryada, the definition of Sikh is: Any human being who faithfully believes in

  1. One Immortal Being
  2. Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
  3. The Guru Granth Sahib
  4. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and
  5. The initiation, known as the Amrit Sanchar, bequeathed by the tenth Guru and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalistan movement</span> Sikh separatist movement in the Punjab region

The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno‐religious sovereign state called Khalistan in the Punjab region. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different groups; some suggest the entirety of the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab, while larger claims include Pakistani Punjab and other parts of North India such as Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Shimla and Lahore have been proposed as the capital of Khalistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dal Khalsa (organization)</span> Radical Sikh outfit

Dal Khalsa is a radical Sikh organisation, based in the city of Amritsar. The outfit was formed in 1978 by Gajinder Singh, the hijacker of Indian Airlines Flight 423. It came to prominence during Insurgency in Punjab, India along with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in 1981. Members of the Dal Khalsa have also been accused of the assassination of Lala Jagat Narain. The primary aim of Dal Khalsa is to form a Punjabi Sikh nation state called Khalistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Punjab, India</span> 1984–1995 Sikh-nationalist militant uprising in Punjab, India

The Insurgency in Punjab was an armed campaign by the militants of the Khalistan movement from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Economic and social pressures driven by the Green Revolution prompted calls for Sikh autonomy and separatism. This movement was initially peaceful, but foreign involvement and political pressures drove a heavy handed response from Indian authorities. The demand for a separate Sikh state gained momentum after the Indian Army's Operation Blue Star in 1984 aimed to flush out militants residing in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a holy site for Sikhs. Terrorism, police brutality and corruption of the authorities greatly exacerbated a tense situation. By the mid-1980s, the movement had evolved into a militant secessionist crisis due to the perceived indifference of the Indian state in regards to mutual negotiations. Eventually, more effective police and military operations, combined with a policy of rapprochement by the Indian government and the election loss of separatist sympathizers in the 1992 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, largely quelled the rebellion by the mid-1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in Canada</span> Overview of the presence, role and impact of Hinduism in Canada

Hinduism is the third-largest religion in Canada, which is followed by approximately 2.3% of the nation's total population. As of 2021, there are over 828,000 Canadians of the Hindu faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Canada</span> Religious community

Sikhismin Canada has nearly 800,000 adherents who account for 2.1% of Canada's population as of 2021, forming the country's fastest-growing and fourth-largest religious group. The largest Sikh populations in Canada are found in Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Alberta. As of the 2021 Census, more than half of Canada's Sikhs can be found in one of four cities: Brampton (163,260), Surrey (154,415), Calgary (49,465), and Edmonton (41,385).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism by country</span> World Sikh population breakdown

Most of the 25-30 million followers of Sikhism, the world's fifth-largest religion, live in the northern Indian state of Punjab, the only Sikh-majority administrative division on Earth, but Sikh communities exist on every inhabited continent. Sizeable Sikh populations in countries across the world exist in India (20,833,116), Canada (771,790), England (520,092), the United States (~280,000), Italy (~220,000), and Australia (210,400), while countries with the largest proportions of Sikhs include Canada (2.12%), India (1.56%), Cyprus (1.1%) England (0.92%), New Zealand (0.87%), and Australia (0.83%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikh diaspora</span> Sikh migration from historical homeland

The Sikh diaspora is the modern Sikh migration from the traditional area of the Punjab region of South Asia. Sikhism is a religion native to this region. The Sikh diaspora is largely a subset of the Punjabi diaspora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Italy</span> Religious minority in Italy

Italian Sikhs are a growing religious minority in Italy, which has the second biggest Sikh population in Europe after the United Kingdom (525,000) and sixth largest number of Sikhs in the world. It is estimated that there are 220,000 Sikhs in Italy, constituting 0.3% of the total Italian population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhdev Singh Sukha</span> Sikh militant and convicted assassin (1962–1992)

Sukhdev Singh Sukha was a Sikh militant and one of the two assassins of Arun Vaidya. He was responsible for three high-profile assassinations; Arjan Dass, Lalit Maken and Gen. Vaidya. He along with other members of Khalistan Commando Force participated in Indian history's biggest bank robbery of ₹ 57 million from Punjab National Bank, Miller Gunj branch, Ludhiana to finance the militancy for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada–India relations</span> Bilateral relations

Canada–India relations also referred to as Indo-Canadian relations, are the bilateral relations between Canada and India. Canada and India have had longstanding bilateral relations, with shared traditions such as democracy. India has become one of the top source countries for immigration to Canada with Indian diaspora increasing to over one million as of 2022. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data, of the more than 800,000 international students in Canada in 2022, 40 percent were from India, constituting the largest international student group in Canada. Bilateral trade between India and Canada has seen significant growth in recent years, reaching $8.16 billion in 2023. Both Canada and India are member nations of the Commonwealth association, and also part of G20, a group of world's largest economies.

South Asian Canadians in Metro Vancouver are the third-largest pan-ethnic group in the region, comprising 369,295 persons or 14.2 percent of the total population as of 2021. Sizable communities exist within the city of Vancouver along with the adjoining city of Surrey, which houses one of the world's largest South Asian enclaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Greater Vancouver</span> Religious community

Sikhism in Greater Vancouver is one of the main religions across the region, especially among the Indo-Canadian population. The Sikh community in Vancouver is the oldest, largest and most influential across Canada, having begun in the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhs for Justice</span> US-based Sikh separatist group

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is a US-based secessionist group that supports the formation of Khalistan. Founded and primarily headed by lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in 2009, the organization was created in response to the lack of litigation to convict the murders and massacres of Sikhs after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.

The 2022 Mohali blast was a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the intelligence wing headquarters of the Punjab Police situated in Mohali, Punjab, India. The attack was committed on 10 May 2022. Banned terrorist outfit Sikhs for Justice took responsibility for the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amritpal Singh</span> Sikh leader of Waris Punjab De (born 1993)

Amritpal Singh Sandhu is a radical pro-Khalistan separatist, and a self-styled Sikh preacher. After living in Dubai for a decade, he returned to Punjab in September 2022, having been controversially appointed as the leader of Waris Punjab De, and started a campaign which encouraged youth to refrain from drugs, adopt a traditionalist form of Sikhism, and advocated a sovereign Punjabi Sikh nation‐state called Khalistan.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is one of the main leaders of the Khalistan movement, which advocates for a religion-based separate state to be split out from Punjab and many neighbouring areas in India, to be known as Khalistan. He is the legal advisor and spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which aims to promote the idea of a separate Sikh state. As of July 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs of India has declared Pannun a terrorist on the grounds of sedition and secessionism, and has requested an Interpol red notice for him.

In March 2023, pro-Khalistan Sikhs protested across the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Punjab, India, against the manhunt of the pro-Khalistan separatist Amritpal Singh and crackdown on his organisation Waris Punjab De, carried out by the Indian authorities. In the United States Sikh activists demonstrated in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardeep Singh Nijjar</span> Canadian Sikh separatist (1977–2023)

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a Canadian Sikh separatist leader involved with the Khalistan movement, which calls for an independent Sikh state.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "What is the Khalistan referendum, and why is India is so concerned about Canada?". Independent.co.uk . 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  2. ↑ Sikhs for Justice releases new map of Khalistan, Express Tribune, October 23, 2021
  3. ↑ "What is the 'Khalistan referendum' and where does Australia stand on the issue?". SBS Language. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  4. ↑ "Australia tells Modi it can't stop Khalistan Referendum voting". 19 March 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Sikh diaspora will vote to establish separate Sikh state in India". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 25 January 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "60,000 Australian Sikhs vote for Khalistan Referendum". 29 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  7. ↑ Alleged Plot to Kill Sikh Separatist Highlights Thorn in India’s Side, Sameer Yasir, New York Times, Dec. 1, 2023
  8. ↑ Why is India so worried about Sikh separatist calls for Khalistan?, Rhea Mogul, CNN, October 6, 2023
  9. ↑ "8th phase of Khalistan Referendum being held in UK cities today". www.radio.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  10. ↑ "What is the Khalistan referendum, and why is India is so concerned about what's happening in Canada?". www.independent.co.uk. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  11. ↑ "8th phase of Khalistan Referendum being held in UK cities today". www.radio.gov.pk. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  12. 1 2 "Over 200,000 Sikhs take part in Khalistan referendums". The Express Tribune. 2022-09-29. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  13. ↑ "Over 6,000 Sikhs in Geneva vote for Khalistan Referendum despite snowstorm". www.geo.tv. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  14. ↑ "Sikhs hold referendum in Italy for creation of Khalistan". www.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  15. ↑ "Over 200,000 Sikhs take part in Khalistan referendums". The Express Tribune. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  16. ↑ "'This is not a fringe movement': Tens of thousands turn out for Khalistan vote held at Surrey gurdwara | Globalnews.ca". Global News.
  17. ↑ "SFJ announces another round of Khalistan referendum". hindustantimes.com. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  18. ↑ "Phase 2 of unofficial Khalistan referendum held in Canada's Surrey; combined voter count crosses 2 lakh, claims SFJ".
  19. ↑ "SFJ announces another phase of Khalistan referendum".
  20. ↑ "Khalistan Referendum event held at gurdwara in Canada's Surrey town".
  21. ↑ "Khalistan referendum to take place in Australia on Sunday". The Express Tribune. 2023-01-28. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  22. ↑ "Brawl breaks out over Khalistan referendum in Australia; India raises concerns with authorities". The Indian Express. 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  23. ↑ "Amid Hindutva threats, venue cancellations to stop Khalistan Referendum, 31000 Australian Sikhs vote in Sydney". 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  24. ↑ Mujaddid, Dr Ghulam (2024-02-03). "America and the Khalistan Referendum". Stratheia. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  25. ↑ "Over 200,000 American Sikhs vote in Khalistan referendum in California". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
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