Pathankot probe: Pakistani investigation team to visit India?

It was registered at Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) centre in Gujranwala, Punjab province, yesterday. The Foreign Secretary-level talks had to be postponed due to pressure on the Indian Government to seek substantive action from Pakistan to book the perpetrators of the attack.

The Pakistani investigation into the Pathankot attack, however, has been hailed by peace activists, who lauded Sharif for efforts to promote peace with India.

“If conflict persists, fundamentalist groups in India and Pakistan will benefit”.

New Delhi alleges that gunmen with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group staged the January 2 cross-border raid on its northern Pathankot air base, in which seven military personnel were killed. Pakistan has been consistently attempting to initiate dialogue, and it is a pity that an attack with such a clear-cut motive may obstruct it. There is a need for mutual cognizance that dialogue is critical for both India and Pakistan. A police official said that after the registration of the FIR, any accused can be presented before the court for start of a formal trial.

Last week, David Headley, a Pakistani-American convicted in the Mumbai terror attacks, made revelations about his close ties with Pakistani officials, especially with the ISI spy agency.

The interior ministry, on its notification issued on January 13, 2016, had constituted a six-member team.

Provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters the FIR demonstrates Pakistan’s counterterrorism resolve. “If they are serious, they can act”. Pakistan had earlier indicated that a probe team from the country is open to visit India as part of its investigation but New Delhi’s reaction was that it’s not possible unless they file a First Information Report (FIR) first.

“If you want to make your image before the world better, and to dispel the propaganda of other countries that our commitment is questionable, then we have to do things like this”, he said.

The filing of the case under the Anti Terrorism Act has been interpreted by observers as a sign that the “actionable intelligence” given by India to Pakistan after the attack has begun to produce results.

“No one becomes guilty upon naming (in a case)”. Pakistan later took the group’s head, Maulana Masood Azhar, into custody for questioning.

Rana Sanaullah, in today’s media interaction, vowed an impartial action against anyone involved in the terrorist attack and to reach to the core of the incident. The NSA was informed that the probe is being carried out in the right direction.

“They [Pakistani officials] have to investigate the role of the people in their country”, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday.

“We have failed to understand why Jaish and its chiefs names were not included in the FIR despite India giving adequate evidence about their involvement, ” the official said.

The theme of the conference was Latest Advances in Technology, Management and Allied Sector in which Mr Basit was to deliver the keynote address.