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."