SYDNEY: More than 31,000 Sikhs voted in favor of the Khalistan referendum in Sydney amid stiff resistance from the Indian government and a personal campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevent Sikhs from holding a third round of the referendum in Australia.
The Sydney leg of the Khalistan referendum was held on the anniversary of the 1984 Operation Blue Star Amritsar Genocide when Indian authorities killed thousands of Sikhs during a bloody attack on Sri Harmandar Sahib (known as the Golden Temple). was given
Thousands of Sikh men and women queued up outside the Shaheed General Shabig Singh Khalistan Referendum Voting Center on Stirling Road, Michinberry from 9 am and cast their votes till 5 pm under the supervision of the Independent Punjab Referendum Commission, the world’s largest referendum. Monitoring the voting is the Commission’s pro-Khalistan separatist group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
Two weeks before the Khalistan referendum vote in Sydney, PM Modi was in Australia where he met Australian government officials and urged them to prevent Sikhs from voting, but the Australian government told the Indian prime minister that the entire Canberra Respects India’s position. And it was not in a position to prevent its citizens from exercising their legal and democratic right.
The pro-Khalistan SFJ booked voting for the Khalistan referendum at four different locations, but all locations canceled the booking citing security and organizational issues as Hindutva groups, backed by the Indian government, clashed with Sikh and Hindutva groups at the centres. had raised false alarms of possible violence between
Large-sized banners and posters were displayed outside the venue with the following slogans: “Khalistan Referendum Australia, Shimla Capital Separation of Punjab from India”; “1984 Sikh Genocide, 100+ Sikhs burned alive in furnaces by Indian Hindu mob”; “Khalistan Referendum, The Last Battle to Free Punjab”; Khalistan Referendum – Punjab – Shimla Capital.
SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pinan said: “Sydney Khalistan Referendum Voting is a remarkable journey of Sikh autonomy from June 1984 to Sri Akal Takht Sahib’s ‘Bomb Ballot’ to ‘Ballot Voting’ to free Punjab from Indian occupation in 2023. are defending to make it.”
Pannu said that Sydney’s turnout was a reflection of the phenomenally growing global support for Punjab’s independence from Indian occupation.
Dr Bakshish Singh Sindhu, president of the Khalistan Council, said: “Thousands of Sikhs in Sydney have given a clear message that they want to free Punjab from Indian occupation, just as Hindus got freedom from British rule. We are the people of India. are under occupation and the only solution is freedom. We will liberate Punjab to save Punjab from India, to save our values, religion and culture. Tens of thousands of Sikhs have participated in the Khalistan Referendum all over the world for a peaceful way. can express their democratic right.
The Khalistan referendum vote in Sydney was the third phase of the Australian campaign. The first phase took place in Melbourne in January this year when more than 50,000 Sikhs turned out to cast their votes. The second phase took place in March this year in Brisbane where more than 11,000 Sikhs voted.
The Indian government campaigned, using diplomatic pressure, to win the vote but was unsuccessful.
Voting in the referendum, which began in October 2021 in seven UK cities, has so far also taken place in Switzerland, Italy and two centers in Canada.
According to the 2021 census, there are about 230,000 Sikhs living in Australia, but local Sikhs say the actual number is closer to 300,000. There were 130,000 Sikhs in Australia in 2016. According to the 2021 census, the number of Hindus in Australia was around 700,000. The largest number of Sikhs live in Melbourne, followed by Sydney and Brisbane.