Ghazi Baba

Ghazi Baba
Born	Rana Tahir Nadeem Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan
Died	August 2003 Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Cause of death	Killed in an encounter by Border Security Force
Nationality	Pakistani
Other names	Abu Jihadi, Sajid Jihadi, Shahbaz Khan, Mudasir Shahbaz, Saqlain, Abu Hijrat
Citizenship	Pakistan
Occupation(s)	Terrorist, Militant leader
Years active	1990s–2003
Organization(s)	Jaish-e-Mohammed, Harkat-ul-Ansar
Known for	Mastermind of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir, 1995 kidnapping of 6 foreigners, 2000 car bombings
Title	Commander-in-Chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed
Opponent	Indian Security Forces
Criminal charges	Terrorism, murder, kidnapping, bombings
Criminal status	Deceased (killed in operation by BSF)
Spouse	Franky
Children	Yes
Father	Rana Talib Hussain

Ghazi Baba (also spelt as Gazi Baba; born as Rana Tahir Nadeem) was a top ranking commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed and deputy commander of the militant group Harkat-ul-Ansar. He is known to have masterminded the 2001 Indian Parliament attack on 13 December 2001. ^[1] He was also involved in two car blasts at the Army headquarters in Srinagar on 19 April 2000 and 25 December 2000, and in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly car bombing of 1 October 2001. ^{[2] [3]} He was also known by several aliases, including Abu Jihadi, Sajid Jihadi, Shahbaz Khan, Mudasir Shahbaz, Saqlain, and Abu Hijrat. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]} Ghazi was also reportedly involved in the kidnapping of 6 foreigners in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir in 1995. ^[10] In August 2003, Ghazi Baba was killed in an operation conducted by Border Security Force (BSF) in Srinagar. ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]}

He was the commander-in-chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Jammu and Kashmir. He rose to prominence in 1998 after leading an attack in the Anantnag district, during which 25 Kashmiri Pandits were killed. He had close ties with Pakistani militant leader Masood Azhar, who appointed him as the second-in-command of Jaish-e-Mohammed. ^[15]

In the 1980s, Ghazi Baba went to Afghanistan, where he fought alongside the forces of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. After the withdrawal of Russian forces and the collapse of the Najibullah regime, he returned to Pakistan. ^[2]

Personal life

Ghazi Baba was born in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan in an Urdu-speaking Muslim family. ^[3] He did his schooling in Bhawalpur. ^[2] His father was Rana Talib Hussain. ^[4]

Ghazi Baba was married to Franky, a Kashmiri woman from Safapora village and had children. He preferred cooking his own meals. He had an interest in astrology and wore three stone rings of different colors, despite being a fundamentalist Muslim. ^[3]

See also

• 2001 Indian Parliament attack
• The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur

References

1. "How a carpenter led the BSF to 2001 Parliament attack mastermind Ghazi Baba's mirror hideout". The Times of India. 20 June 2021.
2. Joshi, Arun (19 December 2001). "Ghazi Baba, the brain behind Jaish". The Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
3. "'Ghazi Baba was a ruthless operator'". Rediff.com . 30 August 2003.
4. "Gazi Baba: The mysterious Jaish chief". The Times of India. 30 August 2003.
5. Singh, Dalip (30 August 2003). "Unlucky 39 helps BSF blow Baba's cover". Telegraph India .
6. Sinha, Ashish (30 August 2007). "How intelligence got it right on Ghazi Baba". The Times of India.
7. Sahni, Ajai (1 September 2003). "A Tide Of Terror". Outlook India .
8. "Hydra-headed". The Economist . 4 September 2003.
9. "How the BSF got Ghazi Baba". Rediff.com . 2 September 2003.
10. Pandit, M Saleem (30 August 2003). "Dec 13 mastermind killed in encounter: BSF". The Times of India.
11. "Top Jaish commander Ghazi Baba killed". Zee News. 30 August 2003.
12. Mukhtar, Ahmad; Guha, Seema (1 November 2003). "Secret door to Gazi Baba - Burst of fire from behind dressing table". Telegraph India .
13. Puri, Luv (August 2003). "'Gazi Baba' killed in encounter: BSF". The Hindu.^{[ dead link ‍]}
14. Swami, Praveen. "Death of a terrorist". Frontline . The Hindu.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
15. Singh, Onkar (30 August 2003). "Ghazi Baba -- the face of terror". Rediff.com.