Mutilation of Hemraj’s body carried out with support of elements in Pakistan Army

NEW DELHI: There is now confirmation of Army chief Gen BK Singh’s charge that beheading of Lance Naik Hemraj was carried out with the support of elements in the Pakistan Army.

Reports with intelligence agencies here said an ISI officer led a 15-member Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad jihadi squad that attacked Indian jawans and that Islamabad’s rogue spy agency handed out a reward of Rs 5 lakh to LeT terrorist Anwar Khan who beheaded Hemraj.

The report names the ISI officer as Subedar Jabbar Khan from its unit in Tattapani area in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Another ISI officer, Colonel Siddiqui, is said to have rewarded Rs 5 lakh to one of the terrorists for bringing back the head of Lance Naik Hemraj.

The report says 10 LeT terrorists and five from JeM formed the Border Action Team headed by the ISI officer that infiltrated into the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district in J&K.

The intelligence report said that the ambush party from Pakistan was stationed at Barmoch border outpost in PoK across the Atma post of the 13 Rajputana Rifles for almost a fortnight before the incident and was watching the movements of Indian Army jawans. This group is also believed to have planted anti-personnel mines in India’s Helmat, Chattri, Dayal Top and Atma border outposts.

The report also said that the same Anwar Khan was behind the beheading of an Indian Army Captain in the same area in 1996. According to intelligence sources, Anwar Khan runs a small-time shop in Rawalkote in PoK. A brigadier level officer from ISI is said to have chaired a meeting in Rawalkote where Anwar was rewarded for the brutal attack.

According to the report, Pakistan Army has been hiring persons from villages near the line of control so that they can be trained to act as guides for aiding infiltration.

The same intelligence input also mentioned the visit of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahedeen chief Syed Salahuddin to areas near LoC before the January 8 raid. Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had earlier confirmed the existence of such inputs.