ISI gave Rs 5 lakh to man who beheaded Indian soldier

NEW DELHI: The terrorist who beheaded Indian soldier Lance Naik Hemraj Singh on January 8 was rewarded with Rs 5 lakh by Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, which executed the attack on Indian troops with the assistance of terrorists, according to a detailed report of Military Intelligence (MI) on the brutality which almost pushed peace talks with Pakistan off track.

According to the MI report, the beheading was done by one Anwar Khan, a local guide who runs a shop in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and he was

also involved in the beheading of an Indian Army captain in 1996 in the same Mendhar area. Anwar, who was handed over the reward by Colonel Siddiqui of ISI, was part of a group led by Subedar Jabbar Khan of ISI. The attackers included members of ISI-backed jihadi terror outfits Lashkar and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

The MI report said ISI masterminded the January 8 beheading of Hemraj and mutilation of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh's body, and involved terrorists in the execution of the plot aimed at triggering unrest along the border.

The report named several officers of ISI who were part of this operation, directly pointing fingers at Pakistan. The report said the beheading was pre-meditated, with an ISI officer leading the 15-member Border Action Team (BAT) which ambushed the Indian soldiers in Mendhar that day. A brigadier-rank ISI officer oversaw the attack.

The ISI has several BATs for such operations along the LoC and Pakistani army was hand in glove with the intelligence agency in the operation.

According to the report, there was a meeting between senior ISI officers, important terrorist commanders and guides a few days before the attack at Rawalkote in PoK. The meeting was presided over by a brigadier level officer of ISI and included Colonel Siddiqui (of Rawalkote), Azad Khan (of Peshawar), Yousuf Khan alias Pathan (of Muzzafarabad) and Major Abbasi (of Tattapani).

Several guides familiar with the topography of line of control (LoC) were also present in the meeting. Among the guides who attended the meeting were Anwar, Sabar Khan (of Battal, PoK) and Meeru (Madarpur, PoK). A local Lashkar operative Chaudhary Bashir was also present.

"During the meeting, it was decided that local guides aware of the topography of the area would facilitate terrorist groups not only in infiltration along the LoC in Poonch district but also assist in operations by BATs (Border Action Teams). For this a reward of Rs 5,000 for planting of a mine on Indian soil, Rs 10,000 for killing an Indian Army soldier in sniper fire and Rs 5 lakh for beheading an Army jawan was announced. For each of these BAT operations, the guide would be rewarded Rs 2,000 to Rs 12,000," the secret document said.

It added, "Pakistan army units have been asked to recruit local persons from villages near the LoC so that they can be trained and subsequently recruited for acting as local guides."

Giving details of the beheading of Indian soldiers, the report said, "The ambush by BAT from across in Krishna Ghati sector, 10 Inf Brigade, Mendhar, district Poonch in which two Army jawans of 13 Rajputana Rifles were killed was carried out by a group of 15 terrorists, having 10 members of Lashkar and 5 of Jaish-e-Mohammad. The group was led by Subedar Jabbar Khan of ISI unit of Tattapani (PoK) and included among others Anwar Khan, resident of Jabbar Mohalla of village Sher Khan (Rawalkote) as the local guide, Qari Shah of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Ajmat Khan of JeM. Anwar Khan carried out the beheading of one of the soldiers."

The report said that before the act, "the ambush party was stationed at Barmoch BOP, PoK, across Atma Post of 13 Rajasthan Rifles for a fortnight before the incident and terrorists were watching the daily movements of Indian Army jawans".

Till January 9, a day after the incident, this ambush party was camping at Tattapani and was also involved in planting anti-personal mines in Helmet, Chattri, Dayal Top, Atma and Rocket BOPs of KG Brigade.

About Anwar, the local guide, the report said "he was also involved in beheading an Indian Army captain in KG Brigade in 1996 in the same area (Mendhar). He runs a shop in Barmoch Gali in PoK". Src: TOI