Formation
The International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), proscribed in India under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) on March 22, 2002, was founded in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1984 after Operation Blue Star, conducted on June 5, 1984, to flush out Sikh terrorists from the Golden Temple complex, in Amritsar, in the Indian Punjab. Amrik Singh and Jasbir Singh Rode, a nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwale, founded the ISYF. Bhinderawale, a key figure in the secessionist Khalistan movement, was killed in Operation Blue Star. The ISYF has been declared as a proscribed organisation in the UK, along with 20 more outfits, on March 29, 2001. Besides, the ISYF has been disbanded in Canada on February 10, 2002.
The ISYF held its first conference in September 1985 in Walsall. Soon after its formation, the ISYF opened chapters at various places in the UK, Germany, Canada and the USA.
Initially, the ISYF split into two factions––one owing allegiance to Jasbir Singh Rode and led by his elder brother Lakhbir Singh Rode––and the other led by Satinderpal Singh Gill, a former member of the second Panthic Committee. Soon thereafter, more splits occurred and several splinter groups emerged––the Damdami Taksal (DDT), Chaheru, Bittoo and Gill factions. These operate mainly in parts of the UK, Germany, the US.
Objectives
Working towards the establishment of an independent homeland for the Sikhs is the chief aim of the organization. The US State Department's annual Patterns of Global Terrorism, in 1999, lists the ISYF as an active terrorist organization that aspires to carve out of Indian territory an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.
Leadership
The ISYF is presently headed by Lakhbir Singh Rode, also a nephew of Bhindranwale. He is better known for the immense political influence and considerable kinship clout he wielded in parts of Punjab. Security forces in Punjab describe him as a "hardcore terrorist". He reportedly continues to be a successful fund-raiser among Khalistan-supporters abroad. He joined the Khalistan movement in 1982, having returned to the Punjab after spending five years in Dubai. He returned to Dubai in 1986, and from there he arranged to send his family to Canada and followed them, where he headed the outfit. Subsequently, he left behind his family in Canada, where it continues to live, and shifted base to Pakistan, where he has been residing since 1991. Rode lives in Lahore. He is among the 20 most wanted terrorists whose extradition India has sought from Pakistan in the wake of the December 13-, 2001 attack on India’s Parliament by a five-member group of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists.
Other important leaders of different factions of the ISYF abroad include Amrik Singh Gill, Raghvir Singh Johal, editor of Awaz-e-Quom the mouthpiece of ISYF-Rode faction in the UK, Balwinder Singh Chaheru, Parminder Singh Bal and Avtar Singh Kooner. In the past, in Canada, besides Lakhbir Singh Rode, Satinderpal Singh acted as President, and Balbir Singh Brar was the Secretary. Also, Manmohan Singh operated as the spokesperson. At the time the outfit was disbanded in Canada, Amrit Singh Raj functioned as the spokesperson.
Area of Activity
In the past, it operated in Punjab and maintained offices in many countries. At the present, the ISYF’s support-base is spread across the UK, North America, Canada and other Western European countries. The Gurdwara on Ross Road, in Vancouver, British Columbia, reportedly played a pivotal role in the ISYF’s activities in Canada. In Pakistan, Gurudwara Dera Sahib, Lahore, acts as the main centre for its activities.
Activities and Fund-raising
At its peak, the ISYF was involved in terrorist acts including murders, bomb blasts and abductions. The ISYF had been making efforts to execute terrorist acts in India, but had not been successful. For instance, on July 30, 1997, two associates of Lakhbir Singh Rode, who had been reportedly sent to assassinate the then Chief Minister of Punjab, Prakash Singh Badal, were arrested near the India-Pakistan border, close to Amritsar.
Reports indicate that Bhagwan Singh, a leader of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) and a close associate of Bhindranwale, S S Bhinder of the ISYF’s Germany chapter, S S Bhullar of Canada and Bhagwan Singh Sandhu had been making attempts to revive the ISYF’s activities in India.
It was earlier reported that the ISYF, in Canada, controlled Gurdwaras in Abbots Fort, New Westminster, Surray, near Vancouver and on Ross Road Street, Vancouver.
The ISYF reportedly raised huge amounts of funds from the Sikh diaspora. For instance, in 1984, it had launched a membership drive, in Canada, and charged five dollars as fees. Those who did not enroll were branded as agents of government agencies. To avoid suspicion most Sikhs became members. Besides, Rode loyalists in the UK, Germany and North America reportedly exercise influence over Gurudwaras and Sikh forums through which they collect funds for the outfit.
Also, the ISYF has established a human rights organisation known as Khalsa Human Rights Group. This group emerged as a powerful fundraising unit of pro-Khalistan terrorists located in foreign countries. Also, it has been reported that it carries out propaganda on alleged human rights violations against Sikhs in India. Further, the group acts as a liaison with other Sikh organisations to unite them in addressing the problems of Sikhs.
The official spokesman of ISYF in Canada, Amrit Singh Raj announced its disbanding there on February 10, 2002, and said after the organization was branded as a terrorist group, its functioning became impossible.
The external intelligence agency of Pakistan, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has supported this organization for a long time. It provides training camps, funds, arms and ammunition to the members of ISYF along with other Khalistani groups. Pakistan-based chief of the Babbar Khalsa International Wadhava Singh and chief of the ISYF Lakhbir Singh Rode are said to be among the top Punjab militants who, in league with the ISI, have been assigned the task of carrying out militant activities. The ISI also wants to create a common front between Khalistani and Kashmiri terrorist groups. The ISYF’s links with Pan-Islamist terrorist groups, and more prominently with the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), date back to the mid-1990s. The ISYF was reportedly the first Sikh terrorist group to have interacted with ideologues of the Markaze-Dawat-War-Irshad, the parent body of the LeT. At the time, ISYF leaders were believed to have met with Abdul Karim @Tunda and Khwaja Moin and had also opened a dialogue with other Pan-Islamist terrorist outfits for joint action.