The national security advisers of Pakistan and India have agreed to allow a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Pakistan to visit India in March before the resumption of foreign-secretary level talks between the two countries.
Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor Lt General (r) Nasser Janjua and his India counterpart Ajit Doval have agreed to let SIT visit India in March to carry forward its investigation following the registration of an FIR against the attackers and abettors of Pathankot Airbase attack.
Sources in the federal government have claimed that Janjua and Doval have almost finalised the schedule for the SIT’s visit as well as the meeting of the foreign secretaries.
The brazen assault on the Indian Air Force base near Pakistan’s border on January 2 had derailed the recently resumed dialogue process between the two neighbours.
The foreign secretary-level talks, initially scheduled for January 15, had been put off immediately afterwards.
According to sources, the SIT would visit India in March first, after which the foreign secretaries would hold their impending meeting. The SIT’s members will also have a meeting with the National Investigating Agency officials who are currently probing the terror attack.
Following the SIT’s visit, Indian Foreign Secretary Jaishankar will visit Pakistan to resume and discuss the mechanism of comprehensive bilateral dialogues.
Doval’s office has conveyed this development to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs so as to make arrangement for the proposed visit of the SIT next month, sources shared, adding that Delhi would soon announce the proposed schedule.
Earlier, immediately after contacting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had constituted a six-member team to work on the leads provided by India.
After investigating the leads, the SIT had recommended on February 18 to register a case.
However, the investigation team during its interrogation absolved Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)’s leader Maulana Masood Azher from the case and directed the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to register a case against unidentified persons.
SIT’s convener Additional IG Punjab CTD Rai Tahir neither confirmed nor denied his team’s proposed visit to India, saying that it needs a policy statement and that he was unable at the moment to issue any statement.
On February 18, CTD Gujranwala lodged an FIR against Pathankot attackers.
FIR number 06/2016 was lodged under sections 302, 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and sections 7 and 21-I of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Nobody has been named in the report lodged on the basis of information provided by the Indian national security advisor that four attackers probably crossed from Pakistan into India and attacked the airbase on January 2.
Seven Indian soldiers were killed in the January 2 attack by six gunmen who entered Pathankot air base in the northern state of Indian Punjab.
India had handed over evidence to Pakistan which reportedly included recordings of phone calls between terrorists and their alleged handlers.
The attack had come a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Pakistan in an impromptu development. Foreign secretary level talks between the countries were postponed after the attack.
Prime Minister Nawaz was on a foreign tour at the time and he called on Modi to take him into confidence and assured of Pakistan’s support in the probe.
It depends on whether the team is allowed to visit India and the base and the amount of local access that is allowed it to function properly. On previous evidence it does not seem likely. Let us hope for the best. dialogue and co-operation is about the only way to save the situation.
Recent threats by the Indian leadership about teaching Pakistan not to do such things are a sure and stupid step towards annihilation. Pakistan has developed nuclear weapons only to protect itself against an enemy that is 6-8 times its size and whom it cannot fight conventionally. I was very happy to hear statements from the FO and the Military saying that any incursions from India into Pak territory will invite nuclear retaliation. I would like to add here that the Pakis should also add some long half life metals to their atomic bombs, like cobalt and strontium or lithium, so that the radioactive materials will completely make the land useless for long time. this should be done and the Indians and the world at large be informed about. so that there is no surprise and the Indians know beforehand what their adventures will provoke. I only hope that the issues facing the two countries can be resolved peacefully, but should also be prepared to totally destroy the enemy in the alternate.
Now that FIR has been lodged proves that the attackers from Pakistan. Its not that Indians went to Pakistan and infiltrated back to attack Pathankhot. & of course they did not come wtih Visa and passport.
You mean that its ok if Pakistani terrorits come and play havoc but will not tolerate indian actions against the masterminds and perpertrators. You are not taking action and you will not allow us too.
Nuclear weapons are for deterrence and not usage so please discount it.
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