India praised Canada for disavowing the Punjab ‘Referendum 2020’ campaign of the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), reports Hindustan Times on July 31. India believes that in clearly disavowing the referendum the Canadian Government has set a precedent that should be emulated by other countries, particularly in the West. A senior Government official said, “Canada taking a lead is a good start, to put pressure on others to follow suit.” Also, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, the country’s Foreign Ministry, stated in an email that “Canada respects the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India, and the Government of Canada will not recognize the referendum.”