Thousands in Surrey cast ballots on Sikh independence from India

Thousands of Sikhs lined up at Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara to cast a ballot on the call for an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.

"There is a positive view of Khalistan and they want their own country. They want a nation-state that protects them," said Jatinder Singh Grewal, director of international policy at Sikhs for Justice.

The vote took place at the same gurdwara where gunmen shot and killed Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said “credible allegations” potentially link agents of the Indian government to Nijjar's murder.

"They're coming out and saying that we will not be scared," said Jay Singh, a Khalistan supporter. "We will stand up and vote in the Khalistan referendum and express our voice."

India is not legally bound by the referendum taking place outside of its borders.

And with Sikhs who don't support an independent Khalistan largely ignoring the vote, there are questions about whether the results will accurately reflect the will of Sikhs around the world.

"It's simply farcical. It has no impact on the lives of people in Punjab," said former B.C. Premier Ujjal Dosanjh. "I was in Punjab in India a week ago. There isn't a whiff of Khalistan in India."

The vote could further strain relations already impacted by Canada's allegations and India's response to them.

"If you give any sustenance, any comfort to people who want to split other countries based on religion, it will come back to haunt us," said Dosanjh.

Of course, in Canada, people are free to hold separatist views—and share them.

"People are very happy to be able to express their opinion on such an important question. Should Indian-occupied Punjab be an independent country? Yes or no?" said Singh.

The answer may be clear to people at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, but their opinion is far from universal among Sikhs in Canada, India and elsewhere—and it's not a question this referendum will actually solve.