The voting in Khalistan Referendum was kickstarted on 31st October, 2021 in the Queen Elizabeth II Hall next to British Parliament and Westminster, which attracted more than 30,000 Sikhs from across the UK.
After the October 31 voting in London, Indian authorities revealed that they have threatened British Sikh NRIs of strict actions such as cancellation of cards and visas to India, to keep them from taking part in SFJ’s Khalistan Referendum.
Southall and Gravesend, where the second phase of Khalistan Referendum voting took place, are among the neighborhoods of London with significant Sikh population.
Southall notably is home to the largest Sikh Gurdwara in Western Europe. Sikh political prowess in the UK is aptly demonstrated and exercised in Southall which is consistent with the massive turnout for Khalistan Referendum voting on Sunday, the 7th November.
The second phase, as well as all the subsequent phases, of voting in Khalistan Referendum were held under the guidance and supervision of a panel of non-aligned direct democracy experts — The Punjab Referendum Commission – for the people who could not cast their votes on 31st October. Large queues started to form from early morning as local Sikh men and women came out to take part in the voting organized by the human rights group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) which aims to organise and hold voting in Khalistan Referendum across the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and homeland – the Indian governed Punjab.
Paramjeet Singh Pamma, UK Coordinator for Khalistan Referendum, was managing the polling station at Southall Gurdwara along with other community leaders and activists. He told this reporter that “continued zeal and response of the Sikhs to vote in Khalistan Referendum is the testament of Sikh people’s aspiration for liberation of Punjab from India”. According to the organizers, under the guidance of PRC, a special eligibility clause and screening has been added for registration to ensure that no duplication of votes takes place.—Agencies
