Lakhbir Singh Rode, chief of the banned outfits Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and International Sikh Youth Federation(ISYF), died in Pakistan. The 72-year-old terrorist reportedly died of a heart attack. His death was confirmed by his brother and former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode.

Lakhbir Singh Rode was a nephew of slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who had taken shelter in Pakistan and was working in close co-operation with Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.

ISYF was founded in 1984 and is quite active in Canada and the UK, with its head Rode settled in Lahore.

As per the US State Department, ISYF functioned as a terrorist organization. Additionally, it had affiliations with Islamist militant factions such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). On March 22, 2002, ISYF was proscribed under the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act (POTA). Not only was the group prohibited in India, but it also faced a ban in the UK in 2001. After the UK ban, the organization underwent a name change to Sikh Federation-UK (SFUK).

Lakhbir Singh was listed as an ‘individual terrorist’ under the UA(P)A and had fled to Pakistan around 1996-1997. Lakhbir originally hailed from the Moga district in Indian Punjab but later he fled to Dubai. From there, he fled to Pakistan but kept his family in Canada.

It was in 2002 for the first time when the Indian government demanded his extradition from Pakistan, along with 19 other terrorists.

A detailed dossier prepared by India claimed, “Lakhbir Singh is allegedly engaged in sending weapons and explosives consignments from across the border to India to carry out terrorist activities in Punjab and to target various Very Very Important Persons (VVIPs) and political leaders.”

Earlier in October, the National Investigation Agency Special Court in Punjab's Mohali had ordered the confiscation of land belonging to Lakhbir Singh under Section 33 (5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.  The court order stems from the registration of the case on October 1, 2021, which pertains to multiple charges, including sections 3, 4, 5 & 6 of the Explosive Substances Act 1908; sections 16, 17, 18, 18B, 20, 38 & 39 of UA(P) Act 1967, Section 21B, 27A, 29 of NDPS Act 1985, and section 120B of IPC.

According to officials, the case was originally registered on September 16, 2021, under Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act at City Jalalabad police station, and involves a tiffin bomb blast that occurred on September 15, 2021, around 07:57 p.m. near Punjab National Bank in Jalalabad town. The investigations revealed that Lakhbir was the mastermind of the whole conspiracy.

“Working in collusion with his Pakistan-based ‘masters’, Lakhbir Singh played a key role in sending consignments of terror hardware, including arms, ammunition, custom-made tiffin bombs, grenades, explosives as well as drugs, to carry out terrorist acts, particularly bomb blasts, to instill fear and terror among the people of Punjab,” said the official according to an IANS report.

Rode played a central role in orchestrating the Ludhiana Court blast in 2021. Additionally, Punjab Police detained Rode's nephew, who is the son of former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode, in connection with the discovery of RDX and a tiffin bomb.

In 2020, the assassination of Shaurya Chakra awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh, a prominent figure in Tarn Taran known for his role in combating terrorism, was carried out under Rode's directives. The individual responsible for executing Rode's plans is the Canada-based criminal-turned-terrorist Arsh Dalla.

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