New Delhi: The Pakistani team in India to probe the terror attack at Pathankot Indian Air Force (IAF) base, has reached Pathankot on Tuesday, accompanied by India’s National Investigation Agency officials.
They was taken to the area where the six terrorists engaged in a gun-battle with security forces on January 2. Technical areas of the base have been barricaded to block the team from getting even a glimpse of those facilities. White, red and yellow tents are keeping these areas out of sight.
The Pakistani team was also taken to the border to “retrace the route of the terrorists” as well as to the hospital where the bodies of the terrorists have been kept.
India has allowed the Pakistani team access to key witnesses — including a Punjab police officer who says he was kidnapped by the terrorists and his car was hijacked by them. But they will not be allowed to question the security personnel.
“The Government of India has made it clear that the Pakistani team will have restricted access to the air base with the NIA taking them to a select areas where the over 80-hour gun battle led to the killing of at least four terrorists and seven security personnel,” official sources in the Ministry of Defence told the Gulf News.
Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a protest near the air base against the visit by the Pakistani investigators. Congress criticised what it described as “unfettered access” given to Pakistan’s JIT.
Congress protesters carrying placards and black flags shouted slogans outside the base where the security forces have been deployed in strength.
Leading the Aam Admi Party (AAP) protest, Delhi minister Kapil Mishra said, “why are Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency officials being served biryani by Modi? The same people who have killed our people have come here. This is so shameful and disgusting.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s ally, Shiv Sena, also slammed the Centre for “welcoming” the team.
“This is exactly what happens in our country. Those who have come from Pakistan — be it terrorists, cricketers or artists — will always get security while our people keep getting killed. Our soldiers who are dying every day at the hands of Pakistan will never get any security. Everyone knows that Pakistan is involved in the Pathankot attack. Even after that the JIT team gets special treatment. It is an insult to the nation,” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said.
Reacting to the fact that an ISI officer was also part of the team, he added mockingly that Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Masood Azhar could come to India as part of the team and no one will ever know.
“This is completely our failure that we have called them here. What will Pakistan do? They are the guilty party and they are going to investigate? The nation is laughing,” Raut added,
Responding to criticism of the government for allowing the Pakistan probe team’s visit, BJP president Amit Shah said: “For the first time, Pakistan has made serious effort towards investigation and we welcome it.”
The Pakistani team also held discussions with Indian investigators in Delhi. Sources say they neither contradicted nor objected to India’s findings about how the Pakistan-based terror group JeM carried out the attack.
In a six-hour presentation, India shared with the Pakistan team details of the call records of the terrorists and their handlers such as Qasim Jaan, Ashfaq Ahmed and Hafiz Abdul Shakur in Pakistan, DNA samples and statements of witnesses.
