Author: PTI
Publication: Rediff on Net
Date: September 1, 2003
URL: http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/sep/01jk1.htm
The Border Security Force on Monday
played a radio intercept where the Jaish-e-Mohammed admitted that its chief
commander in Kashmir, Ghazi Baba, was killed in the encounter in Srinagar
on August 30.
Speaking in fluent Urdu in the radio
broadcast, played before media persons by BSF Director- General Ajai Raj
Sharma, the orator said, "The beat of our hearts, the crown of our heads,
our beloved commander Ghazi Baba and his deputy have left... May god accept
their sacrifice."
The speaker asked JeM cadres not
to be demoralised and asked them to "inflict sorrow and grief on those
who are happy on his killing".
Sharma, who was in Srinagar to visit
the jawans and officers injured in the encounter, said this should put
to rest the controversy surrounding the identity of the slain terrorist.
Sharma described the killing of
Ghazi Baba as one of the biggest achievements of the BSF and said his wife
had given a statement identifying the body.
"We have done careful cross-checks
on his identity and only then we came to conclude that it was him. But
if anybody has any evidence contrary to it, we have an open mind on it,"
he said.
Among other things that were helpful
in proving the identity of Ghazi Baba were the prominent mark on his eyebrow,
eye-tests, the dental structure and the testimony of a BSF source who had
seen the terrorist during his lifetime, Sharma said.
The BSF chief said the force had
been targeting the mastermind of the Parliament attack case for the past
few months and had expected the breakthrough.
"We had zeroed in on him several
times but missed him narrowly," he admitted.
In a word of caution to his jawans,
Sharma said, "No security force, after making a big achievement, should
sit tight and think nothing else will happen... They (the Jaish) are capable
of doing it (striking) and we expect them to do it."