Sikhs gear up Khalistan drive   

Sikhs have geared up the Khalistan movement across the world, 24NewsHD TV channel reported Sunday.

The community held a referendum in Italy to mount pressure on India to press for its rights.

Like around the world, the Sikhs have organized such events across Europe including Britain under the auspices of Justice for Justice. 

Voting was held in Rome, the capital of Italy where 200,000 Sikhs have been residing for years. There are a large number of men and women inside and outside the polling booths. 

People were holding banners and shouting slogans against the Modi government and the ruthless Indian army. The passion of Sikhs for a separate homeland is visible.

The Sikhs demand that India liberate Khalistan and that the United Nations take notice of the atrocities. The Sikhs have taken the constitutional and legal route of the referendum. Paramjit Singh, the founding leader of Sikhs for Justice, said that singer Sidhu Musa Wala was assassinated by Indian agencies as the deceased was a big supporter of freedom.

On the occasion of the referendum, a new map of Khalistan, a separate homeland of the Sikhs, was also released in which not only Punjab but also most of the districts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and UP have been included in the proposed Khalistan.

There have been successful referendums for the establishment of Khalistan in at least seven countries, including the United Kingdom and Switzerland, which are being monitored by independent international organizations.