International Sikh Youth Federation

The International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) is an organisation that aims to establish an independent homeland for the Sikhs called Khalistan.^[1]

International Sikh Youth Federation
ਇੰਟਰਨੈਸ਼ਨਲ ਸਿੱਖ ਯੂਥ ਫੈਡਰੇਸ਼ਨ
Logo of the ISYF
Leader	Jasvir Singh Rode
Foundation	23 September 1984
Dates of operation	1984 – Present
Country	India
Motives	The creation of a Sikh independent state of Khalistan
Active regions	India
Ideology	Sikh Sovereignty
Status	Active
Means of revenue	Sikh diaspora

Origin

International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) was formed on 23 September 1984 in Walsall, UK after the Operation Blue Star conducted by the Indian Military. It was founded by Jasbir Singh Rode, the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Its first conference was held in Walsall, UK.^[2]

History and activities

In 1984, the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) started the ISYF in the United Kingdom as an international branch.^[3][4]

The 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 off Ireland, the deadliest aircraft terror attack until the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the attempted bombing of Air India Flight 301, were allegedly carried out by Sikh extremists. Inderjit Singh Reyat, a dual British-Canadian citizen and member of the ISYF, was found guilty of manslaughter for making the bombs and had to spend more than 20 years imprisoned in Canada, and is the only individual convicted in these attacks as of 9 Feb 2009.^[5][6][7]

ISYF members have engaged in terrorist attacks, assassinations, and bombings against both Indian figures and moderate Sikhs opposing them.^[4] The organisation has also collaborated and associated with other Sikh militant organisations, including Babbar Khalsa,^[3] the Khalistan Liberation Force,^[4] and Khalistan Commando Force.^[4]

Lord Bassam of Brighton, then Home Office minister, stated that ISYF members working from the UK had committed "assassinations, bombings and kidnappings" and were a "threat to national security."^[5] In 2001 it was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the British government for its attacks.^[8]

ISYF head Lakhbir Singh Rode was accused by a chargesheet for a bomb blast in a Ludhiana Court on December 23, 2021. It resulted in 1 death and 6 injuries.^[9][10]

Leadership

Jasvir Singh Rode is the nephew of Bhindranwale and student of Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal. After Operation Bluestar while in Pakistan Rode used the Sikh shrines at Pakistan to make anti-India speeches and provoked the audience to attack the Indian diplomats who were present.^[11] Rode arrived in the United Kingdom in July 1984 with the aim to connect young Sikhs worldwide in support of Khalistan.

On 23 September 1984 the formation of International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) was announced by Harpal Singh and Jasvir Singh Rode.^[12] The group had a 51-member panel headed by Pargat Singh.^[13] But, by December 1984, Rode was expelled from the UK under pressure placed by the Indian Government.

Rode was arrested by Indian authorities in Manila while seeking asylum in a chase spanning Thailand and the Philippines. He was imprisoned for two years in India.^[11] Upon his release, he moderated, now advocating pursuing constitutional changes within Indian framework.^[14] This mode disappointed many of his followers and created a rift in the UK branches roughly along north/south lines: the northern branches known as ISYF (Rode) followed Rode's moderate stance while the southern branches instead followed Dr. Sohan Singh.^[14]

The former leader of ISYF, Lakhbir Singh Rode, was sought for trial in India. He was wanted in cases of arms smuggling, conspiracy to attack government leaders in New Delhi, and spreading religious hatred in Punjab. As per Indian sources, he resided in Lahore, Pakistan after he had escaped to Pakistan due to his association with illegal activities in India while his family settled in Canada. He died of a heart attack in December 2023 in Pakistan's Lahore.^[15][16][17]

See also

• Khalistan
• Kharku

References

1. "International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)". Institute for Conflict Management. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
2. "INTERNATIONAL SIKH YOUTH FEDERATION (ISYF)". Khalistan Extremism Monitor. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
3. "Currently listed entities". Government of Canada. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009.
4. Hamilton, Dwight; Rimsa, Kostas (2007). Terror Threat: International and Homegrown Terrorists and Their Threat to Canada. Dundurn Press. pp. 206–207. ISBN 978-1-55002-736-5.
5. Gilligan, Andrew (21 April 2008). "Ken's adviser is linked to terror group". The London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
6. Bolan, Kim (February 9, 2008). "Air India bombmaker sent to holding centre". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
7. "Convicted Air India bomb-builder Inderjit Singh Reyat gets bail". CBC News. July 9, 2008. Archived from the original on July 10, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
8. "Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2016 – Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
9. "Ludhiana court blast: NIA conducts searches; recovers cash, phones, diaries". The Indian Express. 20 January 2023. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
10. "Pak-based Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode planned 2021 Ludhiana court blast". TimesNow. 8 January 2023. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
11. "There will be no sell-out of the Sikh community: Jasbir Singh Rode". India Today. 31 March 1988. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
12. Tatla, Darsham Singh (2005). The Sikh Diaspora: The Search For Statehood. 141: Routledge. ISBN 9781135367442. Retrieved 26 July 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
13. Carol R Ember; Melvin Ember; Ian A. Skoggard (2004). Encyclopedia of diasporas: immigrant and refugee cultures around the world. Springer. p. 1089. ISBN 978-0-306-48321-9. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
14. Lauterpacht, Elihu; Greenwood, C. J.; Oppenheimer, A. G. (1998). International Law Reports. Cambridge University Press. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-521-58070-0.
15. "US to freeze assets of Babbar Khalsa, Intl Sikh Youth Federation". The Indian Express. Reuters. 28 June 2002. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
16. "Who Was Lakhbir Singh Rode, Pak-Based Khalistani Terrorist Wanted In India". NDTV.com. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
17. PTI (5 December 2023). "Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode, nephew of Bhindranwale, dies of heart attack in Pakistan". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 October 2024.