Canada: 'Khalistan referendum' event canceled amid concerns over AK-47 poster
Canadian authorities reportedly withdrew permission to hold a "Khalistan referendum" at the Tamanawis Secondary School in Surrey, a city in British Columbia, Canada, resulting in the cancellation of the event. According to Hindustan Times, the Surrey District School Board said the organizers of the event scheduled for Sunday violated the rental agreement. Its posters featured photographs of the school alongside an AK-47 machine gun and kirpan. Indo-Canadians, who were concerned over the referendum, welcomed the decision.
Why does this story matter?
The "Khalistan Referendum" is an unofficial voting event organized by the Khalistani separatist organization, the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), across multiple countries regarding the potential creation of an independent Sikh state known as "Khalistan" split from India. It claimed that the goal of the exercise was to seek a consensus among the Sikh diaspora for the formation of Khalistan. The SFJ organized similar exercises in Canada last year, which the Indian government denounced.
Concerned Residents of Surrey raises alarm over controversial posters
Despite several attempts, organizers failed to remove controversial posters, forcing Tamanawis Secondary School to cancel a community rental, the school board said. Forty societies also raised concerns over the event with the City of Surrey and the provincial government, The Indian Express reported. The Concerned Residents of Surrey organization complained that posters of Talwinder Singh Parmar, the alleged mastermind of the terrorist attack on Air India Flight 182 in 1985, were pasted all over the school premises.
Indo-Canadian Workers Association also opposed event
The Indo-Canadian Workers Association (ICWA) had also called for the event to be canceled. Media Coordinator for the ICWA, Satinder Sangha, voiced concerns to the school board about the "divisive tone" of the referendum drive, claiming it harms the Indo-Canadian community's communal harmony. Furthermore, in an interview with a radio station, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke strongly denounced the posters displaying AK-47s but stressed the Surrey City Council had no legal authority over the Surrey School District schools.
India expresses displeasure, Indian Consulate in Vancouver on target
Meanwhile, India has expressed displeasure over the use of Canada's territory for the separatist "Khalistan referendum." The Ministry of External Affairs raised its concerned over the same in an official complaint to Global Affairs Canada. This comes as SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Pannun called for pro-Khalistan elements to "lockdown" the Indian Consulate in Vancouver on Friday (September 8). However, no new referendum date has been announced yet.
