Canada mayor insists Khalistan referendum will go ahead despite India’s objections

Calgary, Canada: Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the city council could not prevent the Khalistan referendum 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 considered the referendum a legitimate democratic activity and that her office had no authority to approve or prohibit it. “The public can gather at the Plaza de Ciudad at any time. They can do what they want,” she said.

The US-based Sikhs for Justice has received permission from the City of Calgary to hold a non-binding referendum at City Plaza.

Ian Fleming, director of corporate property and construction, confirmed that individuals and organisations can use the square without permission, as long as they follow the guidelines for appropriate events.

Hundreds of local Sikhs took part in a car rally in Calgary on Friday, starting from the Gurdwara Dashmash Cultural Centre and taking a three-hour tour around the city.

The rally saw more than 100 vehicles carrying Khalistan flags and banners.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannon, leader of the pro-Khalistan Sikhs for Justice, accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of launching a hate campaign against Sikhs, fuelling tensions between Indian and Canadian Sikhs ahead of the referendum.

The Indian government has expressed concerns about the referendum, which will attract thousands of people.

Tensions rose as Sikhs accused Hindu nationalist supporters of vandalizing 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-India Canadian MP Chandra Arya’s comments against pro-Khalistani Sikhs.

Pannon had demanded Arya’s disqualification, accusing him of advocating violence in line with Modi’s Hindu nationalist ideology.

The Khalistan referendum polling exercise, supervised by the Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC), was launched in London in October 2021 and has since been held in several countries including the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, the US and Canada.