International Sikh Youth Federation

The International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) is a proscribed organisation that aims to establish an independent homeland for the Sikhs of India in Khalistan.[1] It is banned as a terrorist organisation under Australian, European Union,[2] Japanese,[3] Indian,[4] Canadian[5] and American[6] counter-terrorism legislation.[7] The Government of India has declared it a terrorist organisation.[8] While banned, the organization continues to receive financial support from many Sikh people based in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.[9]

International Sikh Youth Federation
LeaderLakhbir Singh Rode
Dates of operation1987 – present
CountryIndia
MotivesThe creation of a Sikh independent state of Khalistan
Active regionsIndia
IdeologySikh fundamentalism
Major actionsAssassinations, bombings and abductions
StatusActive
Means of revenueSikh diaspora
Designated as a terrorist group byCanada, India, Japan, United States, European Union

Origin

ISYF was created in August 1984 after the Operation Blue Star conducted by the Indian Military. It was started by Lakhbir Singh Rode, the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Its first conference was held in Walsall, UK.[10]

History and activities

In 1984, the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) started the ISYF in the United Kingdom as an international branch.[5][11]

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.[12][13][14]

ISYF members have engaged in terrorist attacks, assassinations, and bombings against both Indian figures and moderate Sikhs opposing them.[11] The organisation has also collaborated and associated with other Sikh terrorist organisations, including Babbar Khalsa,[5] the Khalistan Liberation Force,[11] and Khalistan Commando Force.[11]

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."[12] In 2001 it was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the British government for its attacks.[15]

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.[16][17]

Leadership

Jasbir Singh Rode was the nephew of Bhindranwale and member of fundamentalist Sikh organisation 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.[18] Rode then arrived in the United Kingdom in August 1984.

On 23 September 1984 the formation of International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) was announced by Harpal Singh and Jasbir Singh Rode.[19] The group had a 51-member panel headed by Pargat Singh.[20] But, by December 1984, Rode was expelled from the UK for publicly advocating violent methods in support of the Khalistan movement.[21]

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.[18] Upon his release, he moderated, now advocating pursuing constitutional changes within Indian framework.[21] 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.[21]

The current leader of ISYF, Lakhbir Singh Rode, is sought for trial in India. He is wanted in cases of arms smuggling, conspiracy to attack government leaders in New Delhi and spreading religious hatred in Punjab. Per Indian sources, he is currently living in Lahore, Pakistan. [22]

Foreign support

There are allegations made by sources from the Indian based website the South Asian Terrorism portal that the ISYF has been supported by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence organisation.[23]

Bannings

United Kingdom

In February 2001, the United Kingdom banned twenty-one groups, including the ISYF, under the Terrorism Act 2000.[24][20] The ISYF was removed from the list of proscribed groups in March 2016 "following receipt of an application to deproscribe the organisation".[25]

In a separate legal challenge by the leadership of the Sikh Federation (UK), including Bhai Amrik Singh, the Home Secretary confirmed on 14 December 2015 that she would be recommending to Parliament that the ban on the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) should be removed (this was removed in March 2016).[26]

India

In 2002, the ISYF was banned in India, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act designated as terrorist organisation by the Government of India.[4] It remains banned in India since then.[8]

Japan

The Japanese government banned it in 2002.[3]

Canada

In June 2003, Canada banned the organisation.[5][11] The Vancouver Sun reported in February 2008 that Singhs were campaigning to have both the Babbar Khalsa and International Sikh Youth Federation delisted as terrorist organisations. The article went on to state that the Public Safety Minister had never been approached by anyone lobbying to delist the banned groups and said, "the decision to list organisations such as Babbar Khalsa, Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code is intended to protect Canada and Canadians from terrorism".[27]

United States

The ISYF was added to the US Treasury Department terrorism list on June 27, 2002.[6] In April 2004, the United States added four organisations, including the ISYF, to its terror list, allowing the US to deny entry (and to deport) any of its members.[6][7]

See also

References
  1. "International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)". Institute for Conflict Management. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  2. Ember, Melvin, Carol R. Ember, Ian Skoggard (2004). Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1081. ISBN 9780306483219. Retrieved 26 July 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "MOFA: Implementation of the Measures including the Freezing of Assets against Terrorists and the Like". Archived from the original on 6 April 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  4. "Terrorism Act 2000". Ministry of Home Affairs (India). Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  5. "Currently listed entities". Government of Canada. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009.
  6. "What You Need To Know About U.S. Sanctions" (PDF). U.S. Department of Treasury. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  7. "Indian groups join US terror list". BBC News. 30 April 2004. Archived from the original on 14 July 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  8. "List of Banned Organisations". Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI. Government of India. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  9. "Canada lists Babbar Khalsa, Sikh Youth Federation as terror outfits".
  10. "INTERNATIONAL SIKH YOUTH FEDERATION (ISYF)". Khalistan Extremism Monitor. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. "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.
  14. "Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2016 - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  15. "Ludhiana court blast: NIA conducts searches; recovers cash, phones, diaries | Cities News,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)
  16. "Pak-based Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode planned 2021 Ludhiana court blast". TimesNow. 8 January 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  17. "There will be no sell-out of the Sikh community: Jasbir Singh Rode". India Today. 31 March 1988. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  18. 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)
  19. 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.
  20. Lauterpacht, Elihu; Greenwood, C. J.; Oppenheimer, A. G. (1998). International Law Reports. Cambridge University Press. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-521-58070-0.
  21. "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.
  22. "International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) South Asian Terrorism Portal article". The Institute for Conflict Management. n.d. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  23. Norton-Taylor, Richard (1 March 2001). "ISYF banned under new terror law". Guardian Unlimited. Archived from the original on 28 April 2005. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  24. "PROSCRIBED TERRORIST ORGANISATIONS" (PDF). Home Office. n.d. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  25. Ramchurn, Sheena (30 September 2016). "Sikh Leader Campaigns for Khalistan, Secures British Passport After Long Legal Battle - Latest, National, Top Stories". The Asian Today Online. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  26. Bolan, Kim (18 February 2008). "Sikh leader solicits support". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
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