Canada to reject SJF referendum
9:24 AM
What is Referendum 2020?
Referendum 2020 is a campaign by the Sikhs for Justice for a separate Sikh state.
SJF is a USA-based secessionist group that seeks a separate homeland of Khalistan for Sikhs in India. It has offices/organizations in New York, Toronto, and London.
Aim of Referendum 2020
• Gauge what the "Punjabi people" think about re-establishing Punjab as a nation-state.
• Give the people of Punjab the privilege to decide their future political status.
• Once the consensus around the question of independence is established, they will present their case to the United Nation and other international bodies.
SJF says it’s seeking to use the planned November 2020 referendum to assess the appetite for an independent Khalistan, before presenting its case for a binding referendum to the United Nations.
Does UN provide for such a right?
Article 1 of the UN Charter and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) provides that all peoples have the right of self-determination and have the right to freely decide their political status.
What’s the catch?
The SJF group has been banned by India as a terrorist organization and its founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been declared a terrorist for actively promoting terror activities on Indian soil. The group still managed to organize many rallies in cities like London for their cause.
Is there any support in Punjab?
There is near non-existent support for any such global movement calling for a separate Punjab in India. All political parties are against it. Punjab's principal opposition party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), said that “no Sikh in India had any sympathy for such demonstrations”.
Russian Website
In JULY 2020, SJF started an online registration/poll on a Russian hosted website. (Blocked by India) Russia has one of the most stringent legal frameworks for web portals to operate from its soil. But given the historically close India-Russia ties, the running of an anti-India campaign on a Russian domain has raised many questions.
Canada’s call - Diplomatic gain
The issue of Sikh separatism was a major flashpoint of Prime Minister Trudeau’s trip to India in 2018, which was marred by
Indian allegations of Liberal leniency towards Sikh separatist elements in Canada.
This is the first time CM Amarinder Singh has praised Trudeau. Otherwise, he has been critical of him, especially when it came to a perception that he did not oppose anti-India secessionist forces. UK and USA yet to categorically state their position.