Pakistan: Khalistan Liberation Force chief Lakhbir Singh Rode dead
Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned Khalistan Liberation Force, Lakhbir Singh Rode, has reportedly died in Pakistan of a heart attack. He was 72. His brother and former Akal Takht Jathedar, Jasbir Singh Rode, said he had been cremated on Monday. Notably, he was one of the accused in the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 Kanishka, which killed over 300 people.
Who was Khalistani terrorist Rode
Rode was the nephew of slain Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and also the self-styled head of the banned International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). He was named as an "individual terrorist" under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and had fled to Pakistan. Recently, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Mohali ordered to confiscate his land in Punjab's Moga district under UAPA.
Know about Rode's criminal history
Rode allegedly worked with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to disrupt peace in India. He was reportedly the mastermind of the 2021 Ludhiana court blast and plotted the killing of Shaurya Chakra awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh during a fight against terrorism in 2020, per Hindustan Times. According to the United States (US) State Department, Rode's ISYF had links with various terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Booked for smuggling arms, drugs across border using drones
Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Arsh Dalla is reportedly a close aide of Rode. Separately, the Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) booked nine people in February, including Rode, for smuggling guns, ammunition, narcotics, and explosives across the border using drones.
Rode's death comes amid row over Khalistani terrorist Nijjar's killing
Rode's death comes amid an ongoing diplomatic row between Canada and India. It was triggered after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the Indian government's role in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, which India denied. Reportedly, Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed outside a gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
