Online Desk: The Mayor of Calgary, Jyoti Gondek, has stated that the city council cannot prevent the Khalistan Referendum voting scheduled for July 28, despite objections from the Indian government. The event is expected to attract thousands of pro-Khalistan Sikhs. In an interview, Mayor Gondek said she views the referendum as a legitimate democratic exercise, which her office has no authority to sanction or prohibit. “The public is able to gather at the Municipal Plaza at any time. They can do what they wish to,” she remarked.
Sikhs for Justice, a US-based group, has been granted permission by the City of Calgary to hold the non-binding referendum at Municipal Plaza. Ian Fleming, Director of Corporate Properties and Buildings, affirmed that individuals and organisations can use the plaza without permission, provided they adhere to the guidelines for appropriate activities.
On Friday, hundreds of local Sikhs participated in a car rally in Calgary, starting from the Gurdawara Dashmash Cultural Centre and touring the city for three hours. The rally featured over 100 vehicles carrying Khalistan flags and banners.
Pro-Khalistan Sikhs for Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running a hate campaign against Sikhs, heightening tensions between Indian and Canadian Sikhs ahead of the referendum.
The Indian government has expressed concerns over the referendum, which is set to draw thousands of participants. Tensions have risen as Sikhs accused Hindutva supporters of vandalising Khalistan Referendum posters, and a Hindu temple in Edmonton was reportedly attacked with graffiti.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who survived an alleged assassination plot last year, criticised local pro-Indian Canadian MP Chandra Arya for his statements against pro-Khalistan Sikhs. Pannun demanded Arya’s disqualification, accusing him of promoting violence in alignment with Modi’s Hindutva ideology.
The Khalistan Referendum voting campaign, supervised by the Punjab Referendum Commission, began in London in October 2021 and has since been held in several countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, the US, and Canada.