The law enforcement agencies on Wednesday arrested some suspects and took Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, into protective custody in connection with the Pathankot airbase attack, sources said. The sources said the law enforcers conducted raids in Bahawalpur, Ranjure and other areas and took into custody some suspects following the leads provided by India about the Pathankot attack. It is pertinent to mention here that Bahawalpur is the hometown of Maulana Masood Azhar.
The security agencies also took Maulana Abdur Rauf and others into a protective custody. Later, they were shifted to an unknown place for interrogation, they revealed.
A statement issued from the Prime Minister's Office confirmed that the members of Jaish-e-Mohmmad have been arrested. According to the statement, considerable progress has been made in the investigations being carried out against terrorists reportedly linked to the Pathankot incident.
Based on an initial investigation carried out in Pakistan and as per information provided, several individuals belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad have been apprehended, it said. The organisation's offices are also being traced and sealed. Further investigation is underway in this regard, the statement said. The statement was issued after a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for taking stock of the country's security situation.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, Director General Inter Services Intelligence, Corps Commander Lahore, and Director General Intelligence Bureau and other high-ranking civil, military and police officials. The meeting decided that in order to carry the process forward, additional information would be required, for which the government of Pakistan is considering to sending a Special Investigation Team to Pathankot, in consultation with the government of India. "The meeting reiterated that in line with our decision to counter and completely eliminate terrorism, Pakistan would remain engaged with India on this issue," the statement further said.
AFP adds: Pakistan said Wednesday it has arrested several militants belonging to the group believed to be behind a fatal attack on an Indian air base, a move that could help soothe irritated relations with New Delhi. The announcement came as Islamabad said it was considering sending a team to investigate the January 2 attack on the Pathankot air base, in what observers hailed as a "genuine" bid to salvage a nascent peace process between the nuclear-armed rivals. The attack - a rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside disputed Kashmir - threatened to undermine improving relations with Pakistan after decades of fractious ties.
It came just a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian leader to visit Pakistan in 11 years. India says the assault, which left seven soldiers dead, was carried out by the banned Pakistan-based group Jaish-e-Mohammed. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan had arrested "several individuals belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad", adding that progress was being made in the investigation. It was not clear what role they are believed to have played in the attack. Sharif's statement also said that Pakistan was considering sending a special team to Pathankot to seek "additional information" to spur the investigation, adding the decision was being made in consultation with the Indian government. It is the first time Pakistan has suggested it could send a team to join the probe into the attack. In 2008, Islamabad turned down New Delhi's demand it dispatch the head of its intelligence agency to India after Pakistani militants carried out a series of high-profile attacks across Mumbai that left 166 people dead.
Security analyst Talat Masood told AFP the suggestion Pakistan could send a team shows Islamabad was making a "genuine and sincere" effort to find out who was responsible, and "wants to fully cooperate with India". Sharif's statement came after a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by top government and military officials including army chief General Raheel Sharif.
The meeting noted "considerable progress" in the Pathankot investigation, and said the offices of Jaish-e-Mohammed - which staged a 2001 attack on the Indian parliament that brought the two countries to the brink of war - are being sealed. "The meeting reiterated that in line with our decision to counter and completely eliminate terrorism, Pakistan would remain engaged with India on this issue," Sharif's statement said. Modi had urged his Pakistani counterpart to take "firm and immediate action" against those behind the attack, adding that New Delhi had passed on "specific and actionable information" about the incident.
Comments
Comments are closed.