Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode died in Pakistan. Who was he? 

Khalistani separatist leader Lakhbir Singh Rode, the self-styled chief of the banned outfits Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), has passed away in Pakistan at the age of 72. The news was confirmed by his brother Jasbir Singh Rode.

Rode, a nephew of the slain Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, had been residing in Pakistan for several years. He was wanted in India for his alleged involvement in various terrorist activities, including the 1985 Air India bombing. The Indian government had designated him as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The Khalistani extremist had been running the KLF from Pakistan and was suspected of operating from Lahore. He had fled India to Dubai in the past and later moved to Pakistan.

Who is Lakhbir Singh Rode, Bhindranwale's nephew?

• Lakhbir Singh Rode was the chief of KLF, which is a banned outfit in India. He was also the first organiser of the Khalistan Zindabad Force cell near the Indo-Nepal border, responsible for creating disturbances in the regions. 

• It’s been several times that Rode has confessed that he had been working closely with the Pakistani government to launch attacks against India. He was also apprehended with 20 kg of RDX, saying that it was given to him by a councillor in the Pakistani Embassy in Nepal’s Kathmandu. 

• Moreover, Lakhbir Singh was named as the mastermind of the 182 bombing on 23 June 1985 during a confession by militant Talwinder Singh Parmar to the Punjab police. However, this claim is not yet proven. 

• He is also responsible for smuggling and supplying arms and explosives to Punjab across the border to target VVIPs across India, as per the Indian government’s dossier on Rode. 

• Currently, his son Bhaggu Brar living in Canada, and has been accused of carrying out terrorist activities in Punjab. He used to regularly travel to Pakistan to provide arms and funds to his father. He has also been accused of promoting anti-India activities in Canada.