Australian indigenous community supports Khalistan Referendum

MELBOURNE - The delegate of Yidindji Nation of aboriginal Australians has expressed solidarity and support for Sikh people’s right to self-determination through Khalistan Referendum, acknowledging the Khalistan map.

In a well-attended press conference held in Melbourne, the delegate of Yidindji Nation of aboriginal Australians expressed support for the Khalistan Referendum which will be held here on January 29, 2023.

The press conference was called by Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC), the independent body which is supervising the voting in global Khalistan Referendum, and secessionist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) which is leading the Referendum campaign.

Murrumu Walubara who serves as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Sovereign Yidindji Government, the indigenous people of Australia, addressing the press conference expressed solidarity with Sikhs movement for self-determination expounded as to 'what the United Nations Declaration of Rights on Indigenous Peoples could mean for the Sikh community at an international level'.

Murrumu Walubara said: “With the Republic of India voluntarily signing up to the UNDRIP, it becomes incumbent upon India to fulfil its obligations of recognizing Sikh peoples’ right to self-determination in their historical homeland – the Indian Governed Punjab - to settle the past and secure the future.”

Murrumu had flown in from the homeland of Yidindji Nation in Cairns, Australia to address the press conference.

The Yidindji nation, one of the many indigenous people of Australia, is situated in North East Australia. With the Capital City Gimuy the Yidindji territory is divided up into eight cantons. The Yidindji nation is pre-1770 with a system of authority, land tenure and decision-making, and claims its sovereignty to be uninterrupted.

Murrumu and Yadindji leaders are at the forefront of the movement for the rights Indigenous Australians for which a Referendum is likely to be held in July 2023 which will grant further rights to aboriginals. Currently, Yidindji Nation has sovereign relations with many nations around the world with its own passport and currency.

Punjab Referendum Commission Member Professor Matt Qvortrup announced that previously declared January 26 Voting in Punjab will be rescheduled to a later date owing to the ground situation in which the hardline Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Narendra Modi Government is cracking down on Khalistan Referendum campaigners.

The January 29, 2023 voting which will be supervised by the PRC is going to be held at The Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne, VIC from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sikhs from Melbourne and surroundings who are 18 years or older will be eligible to vote.

Dr Bakhsish Singh Sandhu, President Council of Khalistan and Coordinator of SFJ, expressed gratitude to Minister Murrumu for standing with the Sikh people in their struggle for right to self-determination.

Arguing the case for Khalistan Dr Sandhu stated that 'the carving up of Punjab’s territory, the diversion of its key economic resources, the denial of religious freedom, the violation of fundamental civil and political rights of its people, and continuing econocide demonstrate Sikh subjugation, domination, and exploitation by India.'

“We are exercising the same right to self-determination that the British gave to the Scottish people in 2014, Canada gave to Quebeckers, in 1980 and 1995, and India used to attach several geographical areas to itself, most notably Junagadh in 1948, and Sikkim in 1975. We thank the Australian government for upholding their laws and democratic principles by allowing the Khalistan Referendum under the supervision of the Punjab Referendum Commission, a body of internationally recognized experts on referendums and direct democracy,” Sandhu further stated.

“Today Yidindji People by supporting Sikhs have set the example that all indigenous people should join hands and morally support each other when it comes to the right to self-determination and sovereignty,” stated Dr. Sandhu.

Addressing the Press Conference, SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun announced that “voting Khalistan Referendum in Sydney will be held parallel to Quad Meeting in May while Indian Prime Minister Modi will be in town to highlight to the Quad leaders the Sikh people’s remarkable journey from being victims of Genocide to Khalistan Referendum.”

“The Khalistan Referendum is a peaceful and democratic initiative which conforms with international law and norms to ascertain the will of the people on a political question,” added Pannun.

Simone Pentanu, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bougainville, emphasized on the importance of Referendum as a tool to achieve right to self-determination and reassured the Sikh people that the path of Referendum may be long but it is the only peaceful and sure way to sovereignty and independence which ensures the safety of the indigenous people from the hands of brutal forces that occupy their homeland.

He congratulated the Sikhs for organizing the Khalistan Referendum and stated that “a referendum may take long time or short time but it is surely the way to achieve independence non-violently”.