Canadian govt. refuses to act against Khalistan Referendum despite Indian pressure.

ISLAMABAD -- The Canadian government has refused to stop Canadian Sikhs from expressing their views through holding of Khalistan Referendum by linking it with a peaceful and democratic process within the legal parameters of the Canadian laws.

Commenting on the situation which emerged after an attack on a Hindu temple and the poster of a revered Khalistan Sikh leader, a Canadian government official said that the Canadian nationals had every freedom to express their views under the Canadian laws relating to right to freedom of expression and right to free speech and assembly.

The official views came after lobbying by the Indian government urging the Canadian government to act against the rising pro-Khalistani sentiment in Canada, which is home to over one million Sikhs. A high-profile campaign for Khalistan is being run by the pro-Kahlistani and pro-separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

According to international media reports, the Indian government tried to apply diplomatic pressure on the Canadian government ahead of the Khalistan Referendum voting on 18 September at the Gore Meadows Community Center in Brampton, Ontario. Hundreds of Sikhs gathered at the centre on Saturday to make preparations for the voting on Sunday.

The Canadian officials were quoted as saying that it could not take away right of the Canadians to engage in any kind of political activity and demand their rights through peaceful and democratic means.

Canadian parliamentarian Sukhminder Singh Dhaliwal also said that constitutional and democratic political expression could not be stopped.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Counsel General of Sikhs for Justice and a New York Attorney, said the Indian government used every trick to paint Sikhs in a bad light before the West but the democratic governments had refused to come under the Indian pressure.

They recognized that Khalistan Referendum sought to assess the desire for an independent Khalistan, he said, adding once the voting process was completed then the case would be taken up at the United Nations.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun reiterated that SFJ and other pro-Khalistan organizations had no links with violence. 'We are for ballot, not bullet. India hates our approach to peace,' he maintained.

Jatinder Singh Grewal, the policy director of SFJ, said: 'The issue of Khalistan Referendum falls well within the right of freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right enjoyed by all Canadians. India has a difficult time...