New Delhi: Long in the works, the re-scheduled 'Referendum 2020' for an independent 'Khalistan' failed to take off on Saturday when authorities blocked the Russian online portal where adults in Punjab were invited to register themselves online as ‘voters’ for an independent homeland for Sikhs, and because of lack of traction for the movement among Sikhs in Punjab.
On Sunday evening, in another major cyber offensive, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) blocked 40 websites of the 'Sikhs For Justice (SFJ)', the main organization behind ‘Referendum 2020’.
“While the ‘Referendum 2020’ plan began in August 2018 in London, it was supposed to be launched in Punjab on June 6, 2020, the 36th anniversary of Operation Bluestar, but the date had to be rescheduled because of lack of evident support. And again on July 4, it failed to take off,” a top security official familiar with the matter told ETV Bharat.
The SFJ is spearheaded by US-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who espouses the right to self-determination is behind the ‘referendum’ undertaken in the belief that the effort may lead to a revival of the ‘Khalistan’ movement.
Read: Punjab: Pro-Khalistan outfit member Pannun, associates booked for sedition
On January 13, 2019, Pannun had written to Yao Jing, China's ambassador in Islamabad, where he alleged the involvement of Indian intelligence in the November 23, 2018 attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi.
Interestingly, on July 1 (Wednesday), Pannun and eight others were designated as ‘terrorists’ by the Union home ministry under the provision of the Unlawful Activities Prevention (UAPA), which has been given more teeth by enabling even individuals to be designated ‘terrorists’.
The others are Wadhawa Singh Babbar, Paramjit Singh (both from Babbar Khalsa International), Gurmit Singh Bagga, Ranjeet Singh, Bhupinder Singh Bhinda (all three from Khalistan Zindabad Force), Hardeep Singh Nijjar (Khalistan Tiger Force), Lakhbir Singh (International Sikh Youth Federation), and Paramjit Singh (Khalistan Commando Force).
The SFJ was banned by the government on July 10, 2019.
The registration for ‘Referendum 2020’ was first carried out on April 14, 2019, from Gurudwara Panja Sahib (Pakistan), followed by a similar effort the same day at Stockton, California in the US and then in Surrey, British Columbia (April 20, 2019) in Canada. Later, the online registration effort continued in locations like Hong Kong, New York, and New Jersey.
Also Read: We won't mind if offered Khalistan: SGPC president on pro-Khalistan slogans raised at Golden temple
