Indian Flag Desecrated, ‘Kill’ Slogans Heard At Khalistan Referendum In Canada

The vote asked participants whether they supported a separate homeland called "Khalistan" and for Punjab to secede from India.

According to SFJ, over 53,000 Sikhs from Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec queued for more than two kilometres to cast their ballots.

"From new-born children to seniors using walkers, families remained in line all day. Thousands were still waiting when the 3 pm closing time arrived, and voting continued to ensure they could cast their ballots," TOI quoted the group as saying.

SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, designated a terrorist by India, addressed voters through a satellite message.

SFJ also questioned why Canadian PM Mark Carney met PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa the same day. Carney and Modi discussed restarting stalled negotiations for a new Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) aimed at doubling bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030. "Prime Minister @narendramodi and I met at the G20 Summit today, and launched negotiations for a trade deal that could more than double our trade to more than (C) $70 billion," Carney said in a post on X.

(With inputs from TOI)