AUCKLAND: Over 37,000 Sikhs exercised their right to vote in the Khalistan Referendum held here for the creation of an independent Sikh state of Khalistan within India.
The independent Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC) is conducting the referendum. Dr Bakhshish Singh Sandhu, the president of Council of Khalistan and founding member of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), announced that the total votes cast were over 37,000.
The referendum was held in Auckland’s Aotea Square on Sunday, where thousands of Sikhs thronged to the venue to cast their votes, prompting the organisers to extend the voting time by one hour.
Dr Sandhu told thousands of supporters of Khalistan in his speech: “The Indian government had lobbied against the voting and had asked New Zealand to ban Sikhs from taking part in the voting but the local authorities approved the referendum and clarified instead that New Zealand is a country committed to freedom of expression. Throughout the day, thousands of Sikhs chanted slogans for the creation of Khalistan and accused the Indian government of being involved in Sikh genocide and transnational oppression against Sikhs. They have shown how much love there is for Khalistan in the hearts of Sikhs.”
After the SFJ announced the event in New Zealand, the matter was raised by S Jaishankar, India's minister of external affairs, with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters during their meeting on the sidelines of the Raisina Down Under conference in Canberra on November 6.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the counsel general of SFJ, told the audience after the referendum that Sikhs had terrified the Indian state through the peaceful voting process and the Hindutva state has resorted to terrorist means to punish Sikhs for seeking their homeland. “No other option is acceptable to Sikhs other than liberation from India. It’s either freedom or martyrdom.”
The SFJ chief announced a bounty of $1 million for anyone who shares intelligence on Union Home Minister Amit Shah's foreign trips — and held him responsible for authorising the “terror campaign” against Sikhs. He said that Sikhs have decided to take on the Hindutva violent ideology by all means possible and the campaign to do so has started from Ayodhya, the birthplace of violent Hindutva ideology.
Pannun said: “Sikh Sangat in their thousands have cast their votes today to liberate Sikhs from the Indian occupation. This is a democratic way of seeking freedom but the terrorist Modi government is trying to stop Sikhs through bullets and terrorism. Shaheed Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar was martyred in Canada inside the Gurdwara on orders of the Indian government.
“The principal is blood for blood and bullets for bullets and the Sikh Panth had shown their actions how it can avenge and execute for its rights — as seen in the assassination of Indira Gandhi — but today we are fighting India’s bullets with the ballots. We are working through non-violence and through our votes but this is a message for Amit Shah and Narendra Modi we have brought political death upon you through the weapon of ballot. We will hold each and every Indian leader accountable and bring them to justice through legal process."
Pannun announced that the next phase of the Khalistan Referendum will be held in the US state of Los Angeles. He ended the speech with the slogans “Delhi banay ga Khalistan, Na Hindi, Na Hindutva, Na Hindustan, Delhi banay ga Khalistan, Khalistan Zindabad.”
