Khalistan Referendum event held at gurdwara in Canada's Surrey town

NEW DELHI: A Khalistan Referendum event was held at a gurdwara in Surrey town of British Columbia province of Canada.

Designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), was present at the gathering of the Khalistani separatists held at the Guru Nanak Singh Gurudwara in Surrey, Vancouver.

In a provocative speech, Pannun used intimidating language against PM Modi, EAM S Jaishankar and other leaders. He claimed that the separatists were challenging the territorial integrity of India.
Permission withdrawn, authorities said last week
It was, however, announced last week that the permission to hold the event was being withdrawn. The announcement came shortly after TOI had reported that the US-based Sikhs for Justice was planning the separatist event at a school in Surrey, and promoting it by juxtaposing photos of the school and AK-47.

Surrey School District’s associate director (communication services) Ritinder Matthew had said that promotional material for the event featured images of the school alongside those of a weapon. “Despite repeated attempts to address the issue, the event organisers failed to remove these concerning images and materials, which continued to be posted throughout Surrey and on social media,” he said.

Stating that Surrey School District had cancelled the “community rental” due to a violation of the rental agreement, Matthew said the decision had been communicated to the event organisers and the refund process initiated “for any payment made” in this connection.

Reacting to the decision, Punjab Foundation chairman and US-based human rights activist Sukhi Chahal had said citizen groups from Surrey stood united in their demand for an immediate halt to the event, determined to shield local schools from being used as platforms for promoting terrorism. Earlier, distancing herself from the event, Surrey mayor Brenda Lock said it was not being held with the consent of the city council.